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> Ironically, though consistency of interface is a goal, new versions of Tidy libraries are often incompatible with older ones, a very serious problem in the so
by kgwgk 7y ago
> Ironically, though consistency of interface is a goal, new versions of Tidy libraries are often incompatible with older ones, a very serious problem in the software engineering world.
I was (sadly) amused by a recent comment on HN linking to some tweets celebrating that some R code still ran four years later.
- tylermw 7y agoThat was my comment, and the point wasn't that the R code still ran four years later--the point was that R Core's focus on backwards compatibility (in reference to R being hamstrung via its focus on "compatibility with S") isn't a bad thing. You're never going to get the 2.x - 3.x schism that python had with future version of R, assuming R core continues with that philosophy.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- kgwgk 7y agoI completely agree with your point and I think saying that R is keeping compatibility with S doesn’t make much sense. R is keeping compatibility with R, as it should. Maybe I lack context, but those tweets looked to me as if someone said “I can run this four year old game in the latest release of Windows!” or “Three versions of Office later I can still open my excel files!”