Re: Version Number Confusion

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Article #1781

#1781

From: Ken Badertscher
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1989 21:23

37 lines
2138 bytes

In article <5440035@hplsla.HP.COM> andyc@hplsla.HP.COM (Andy Cassino) writes:
| | 
| | Unfortunately, most software checks the version
| | date. For example, the ICD hard disk driver knows about the Beta ROM date,
| | but fails to recognize my 1.4 version, which is dated Feb 22, 1989.
| | 
| 
| Yikes! Does this mean that my ICD host adaptor won't work with TOS 1.4 until
| I get a new rev of ICDBOOT???


ICD did A Bad Thing.  Actually 2 bad things.  First, they shouldn't have
released ANY software that relied on ANY Beta TOS releases.  All
developers who got early releases of the latest TOS were warned and
foresworn not to base any software on any features of the intermediate
release; we sent it out to allow them to test their existing software.

DON'T BASE ANYTHING IN YOUR SOFTWARE ON INTERMEDIATE OS RELEASES.

Second, they shouldn't have based anything on the date of the TOS ROMs.
As I have said before, there are three supported OS releases; ROM TOS,
Mega TOS, and the one that is forthcoming.  Each has a different OS
version number in the OS header.  ROM TOS and Mega TOS have the same
GEMDOS version number, because GEMDOS didn't change between those OS
revisions.  What's worse, dates in the OS header will vary from country
to country, so by checking OS header dates, you not only make your
software version dependant, you make it country dependant as well.

USE THE OS VERSION NUMBER, NOT THE OS DATE, IF YOU MUST CHECK OS VERSIONS.

'nuff said.


-- 
   |||   Ken Badertscher  (ames!atari!kbad)
   |||   Atari R&D System Software Engine
  / | \  #include <disclaimer>

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Message-ID: <1559@atari.UUCP>

Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!sun!imagen!atari!kbad

References: <8906121449.AA01174@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <5440035@hplsla.HP.COM>

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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!sun!imagen!atari!kbad
From: kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Version Number Confusion
Summary: Don't use OS dates.  Don't use OS dates.  Don't use OS dates.
Message-ID: <1559@atari.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jun 89 21:23:11 GMT
References: <8906121449.AA01174@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <5440035@hplsla.HP.COM>
Reply-To: kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher)
Organization: Atari Corp., Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 37

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