Backward compatibility refers to a software or hardware system that can successfully use interfaces and data from earlier versions of the system.
Questions tagged [backwards-compatibility]
1060 questions
360
votes
6 answers
Can I pass an array as arguments to a method with variable arguments in Java?
I'd like to be able to create a function like:
class A {
private String extraVar;
public String myFormat(String format, Object ... args){
return String.format(format, extraVar, args);
}
}
The problem here is that args is treated as…
user362382
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240
votes
19 answers
How to install both Python 2.x and Python 3.x in Windows
I do most of my programming in Python 3.x on Windows 7, but now I need to use the Python Imaging Library (PIL), ImageMagick, and wxPython, all of which require Python 2.x.
Can I have both Python 2.x and Python 3.x installed in Windows 7? When I run…
dln385
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153
votes
6 answers
Enabling auto layout in iOS 6 while remaining backwards compatible with iOS 5
What is the best way to take advantage of the new auto layout features of iOS 6 while still providing compability with older devices on earlier versions of iOS?
sglantz
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117
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5 answers
Python's many ways of string formatting — are the older ones (going to be) deprecated?
Python has at least six ways of formatting a string:
In [1]: world = "Earth"
# method 1a
In [2]: "Hello, %s" % world
Out[2]: 'Hello, Earth'
# method 1b
In [3]: "Hello, %(planet)s" % {"planet": world}
Out[3]: 'Hello, Earth'
# method 2a
In [4]:…
gerrit
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108
votes
4 answers
Is it okay to use now?
I'm working on a mobile phone web app and I have several text fields that could benefit from . iPhones will adjust the keyboard for the user, but I'm worried about breaking backwards compatibility. What I'm hoping is that…
Michael
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88
votes
2 answers
Weak Linking - check if a class exists and use that class
I'm trying to create a universal iPhone app, but it uses a class defined only in a newer version of the SDK. The framework exists on older systems, but a class defined in the framework doesn't.
I know I want to use some kind of weak linking, but any…
psychotik
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80
votes
1 answer
Why is Python 3 not backwards compatible?
I have learned that Python 3 is not backwards compatible.
Will it not affect a lot of applications using older versions of Python?
How did the developers of Python 3 not think it was absolutely necessary to make it backwards compatible?
neelmeg
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77
votes
8 answers
Is JDK "upward" or "backward" compatible?
Backward binary compatibility (or downward compatibility) - an ability of clients built with an old version of library API to run on a new one (wiki).
Upward binary compatibility (or forward compatibility) - an ability of clients built with a new…
linuxbuild
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74
votes
7 answers
How to warn about class (name) deprecation
I have renamed a python class that is part of a library. I am willing to leave a possibility to use its previous name for some time but would like to warn user that it's deprecated and will be removed in the future.
I think that to provide backward…
Dariusz Walczak
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64
votes
6 answers
Material Design backward compatibility
From examples provided on the Android Developer pages I see that new Views, like the RecyclerView, are backward compatible (android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView).
Are all the new things introduced in Material Design backward compatible (to which…
syntagma
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59
votes
2 answers
How should I write my C++ to be prepared for C++ modules?
There are already two compilers that support C++ modules:
Clang: http://clang.llvm.org/docs/Modules.html
MS VS 2015: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vcblog/archive/2015/12/03/c-modules-in-vs-2015-update-1.aspx
When starting a new project now, what should…
user7610
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55
votes
4 answers
What does it really mean to target a framework, and how do I maximize compatibility?
Greetings all,
This has confused me ever since I first started coding in C#. My goal is to create an assembly that will run on the most recent .NET framework the user has, whatever that may be. I don't want to require .NET 4 to be installed, but I…
Paul Accisano
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54
votes
2 answers
std::vector, default construction, C++11 and breaking changes
I ran today against a quite subtle issue I'd like to have your opinion on.
Consider the following garden-variety shared-body-idiom class:
struct S
{
S() : p_impl(new impl) {}
private:
struct impl;
boost::shared_ptr p_impl;
};
The…
Alexandre C.
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53
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6 answers
Can program developed with Java 8 be run on Java 7?
I am a little confused.
Oracle says Java 8 is highly compatible with Java 7 (backward). But, what possibilities exist that Java 8 program can be run on Java 7 successfully (SE/EE)?
If point one was true, Java 8 applications will be deployed and…
Mitsu Garcia
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52
votes
2 answers
What is the difference between MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET and -mmacosx-version-min?
I often need to target Mac OS X versions that are older than the one I'm currently running. As I prefer to work with a bash shell and Makefiles, I do not use Xcode. Apple explicitly supports targeting older OS X versions, but I've always been…
Andreas
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