Version 8 versus Version 7

[Peter2]

I would like to test (and use?) the new "timer function" in V8 for a new tool, but my (not so complex) current tools use Version 7. If the timer works fine for me I have to use V8 for all my tools - are there any reasons to not upgrade to V8? A list of know issues (for ow level user ..)?

[owenwengerd]

The symbol naming convention changed, and that could be a bit of a syntax and formatting problem, but as a general rule there have not been any changes significant enough to affect previously working code.

I would say generally that it's a good idea to try new builds as they are released, and if you find problems, revert to a previous build for production while you either report the discovered problems or implement a solution. If nobody ever tests new builds, I won't get the feedback I need to make sure nothing breaks in the meantime. If there are potential breaking changes in a new build, I always disclose these in the release comments.

[Peter2]

...I would say generally that it's a good idea to try new builds as they are released, and if you find problems, revert to a previous build for production ...

Hi Owen
is there a panacea (especially for OpenDCL) for concurrent operation of two versions?

- Of course (maybe the best?) there is "install / deinstall".
- And I use VMWare, but doubling it with OpenDCL-versions is a lot of data-load

[owenwengerd]

There is no way to have concurrent installations of the runtime, because the runtime is (and must be) shared system-wide. Once your application is deployed along with other OpenDCL applications, it may encounter newer runtime versions than the version you used for development. Therefore, my goal when adding new features or making architectural changes is always to ensure that older code continues to work unchanged.

[Peter2]

Thanks, and Happy Eastern, Owen