[ESPResSo-devel] Python interface compatibility across Espresso versions

[Rudolf Weeber]

Dear ESPResSo users and developers:

In preparation for the upcoming release of ESPResSo 4.0, we set out guidelines 
for the compatibility of the Python interface across ESPResSo versions. Please 
find these below.

Regards, Rudolf




Intended interface compatibility between ESPResSo versions
----------------------------------------------------------
We use the following versioning scheme:
major.minor.patch_level

With regards to the stability of the Python interface, we plan the following 
guidelines: 

  * patch_level: The Python interface will not change, if only the patch_level 
number is different. Example: 4.0.0 -> 4.0.1.

  * minor: There will be no silent interface changes between to versions with 
different minor numbers. I.e., a simulation script will not silently produce 
different results with the new version. The interface can, however, be 
extended. In important cases, the interface can change in such a way that using 
the old interface produces a clear error message and the simulation is 
terminated. Example: 4.0.1 -> 4.1.0

  * major: No guarantees are made for a transition between major versions. 
Example 4.1.2 -> 5.0. 

  * No guarantees are made with regards to the development branch on GitHub.

  * No guarantees are made with respect to the C++ bindings in the simulation 
core. 




-- 
Dr. Rudolf Weeber
Institute for Computational Physics
Universität Stuttgart
Allmandring 3
70569 Stuttgart
Germany
Phone: +49(0)711/685-67717
Email: address@hidden
http://www.icp.uni-stuttgart.de/~icp/Rudolf_Weeber