[sword-devel] How broadly do we define "API" (was: Re: which engine sources to use )

[Jonathan Marsden]

Troy A. Griffitts wrote:

> 1.6.x has been dubbed a non-API-breaking/binary-compat stable branch. If
> you want to call that a bug-fix branch, great.  We are in a phase of
> development currently which doesn't require a branch.  We are fixing
> bugs, optimizing, and improving filter support, etc.  These are all
> things which will be released in the 1.6.x thread of releases.  As soon
> as we decide we need to commit something that breaks API/binary
> compatibility, then we'll branch 1.6.x and continue 1.7.x on HEAD.

OK, that is fine at the library API level, and is good news :)

At the level of utilities that are used in scripts, and whose command
line parameters are therefore in some sense an "API" for those who write
scripts using them, the very recent (post 1.6.0) change to osis2mod that
adds the -d option *already* broke "osis2mod API compatibility" :)

I'd consider that kind of change an enhancement, rather than a bug fix.
 So even though I thought it was useful, I left it out of the SWORD
1.6.0+dfsg-1 packages...

Jonathan