From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,5894fe67040038b X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-11-07 07:40:24 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-x2.support.nl!news-x.support.nl!psinet-eu-nl!psiuk-p4!psiuk-p3!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Attributes 'Version and 'Body_Version Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 10:08:16 -0500 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9sbip2$1dl$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9s9iti$g$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <5ee5b646.0111061939.595b61be@posting.google.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 1005145698 1461 136.170.200.133 (7 Nov 2001 15:08:18 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 7 Nov 2001 15:08:18 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:15996 Date: 2001-11-07T15:08:18+00:00 List-Id: I don't recall ever saying that the RM gave me the idea that I could do anything but compare the two version numbers for equality. I think what I said was that having discovered these strings, I might conceivably find some use for them in identifying software versions in a manner that would be dependent on the particular implementation - assuming one knew how those numbers got built. For example: Suppose you wrote a class that wants to store/load its data to/from a file. Suppose that part of what it wrote to that file was the version string. On reading the version string back in, it is possible for the class to detect if it is consistent with the content of the file. However, it might be more useful if it can detect some sequence to those version strings so that it might be able to say "This file was created two versions ago" or "This file was created by one version later than I am..." and make intelligent decisions about what content to read in. I could imagine how an implementation might have information coded in the strings that might make it possible to determine lots of things about compatibility. I could also imagine how some implementation defined pragmas might just be able to add additional information to the string that might let the user provide some compatibility information. So knowing how the strings change and what can be detected from their content might just be useful information - implementation dependent, but useful. MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ "Robert Dewar" wrote in message news:5ee5b646.0111061939.595b61be@posting.google.com... > > What in the RM gives you the slightest idea that you > can expect to do anything more than compare two version > numbers?