[Plplot-devel] Changes in API and SOVERSION

[Rafael L. <lab...@ps...>]

Hi again,

I am trying to compile the PDL bindings for PLplot
(http://search.cpan.org/author/DHUNT/PDL-Graphics-PLplot-0.18/PLplotOO.pm)
and came accross a compilation error due to a change in the API.  Here is
the relevant CVS log entry:

    RCS file: /cvsroot/plplot/plplot/src/plline.c,v
    Working file: plline.c
    head: 1.26
    revision 1.23
    date: 2002/06/21 23:24:41;  author: airwin;  state: Exp;  lines: +12 -12
    Changed API of plpoly3 so that negative dimension n has no special
    significance (except you will have less than the minimum 3 points), and
    there is an additional argument ifcc. [...]

This introduced a backwards incompatible change in the API.  That's fine,
since software must evolve or die.  However, this is completely incoherent
with the fact that we kept the major number for the library soversion (5.1.0
-> 5.2.0).  The present release of PLplot should have had a library
soversion = 6.0.0. 

It would be better to create a new function (plpolyl3, say) and make plpoly3
a wrapper to it. We could implement this idea to clear up the soversion mess
for the forthcomming 5.2.1 release.  We can also bump the library soversion
to 6.0.0. Another possibility is to keep things as they are and send a note
of excuse to our users.

At any rate, we must pay attention to this problem in the future.

-- 
Rafael