Re: [Libcdio-devel] [RFC] New API iso9660_statv2_t as API/ABI compatible way to read files >= 4 GiB

[Pete Batard]

On 2018.07.08 21:30, Thomas Schmitt wrote:
> What if an application is poorly maintained but still in use.

Well, from seeing the real-life damage this kind of reasoning actually 
incurs, I'm not going to mince my words: For the benefit of end users, 
and no matter how popular they are, applications that are not being 
maintained _must_ be weeded out. And the sooner the better. If that can 
be hastened as a side effect of ABI breakage, all the better. ;)

Now, because I fear that some people might be taken aback by the 
argument I am making, and may even be tempted to compare it to some kind 
of eugenics nonsense, please remember that all we are talking about here 
are things, not individuals, and things that are past due their 
usefulness do get discarded all the time, for very sensible reasons. 
There is a best before date on food, to avoid rot - why should it not be 
the same on software (to avoid bit-rot)? ;) But of course, because we're 
talking software, this "best before date" must be flexible and depend 
entirely on the maintenance effort put in by its developer.

We're long past the days of "I'll put an application out there and stop 
maintaining it" as a viable software development approach, which too 
many proprietary software vendors (as well as some Open Source ones) 
seem to have. From my own experience, development of an application is 
only 20% of the work. Maintenance is the rest. If you are not prepared 
to put in the 80%, then, on behalf of all the users who are going to be 
very negatively affected by this decision _not_ to want to maintain code 
in the long run, I can only wish that some form of breakage will occur 
that will make these same users realize, sooner rather than later, that 
they should switch to using a well maintained alternative instead.

This is another case where, IMO, the long term benefits for end users 
greatly outweigh any temporary inconvenience.

Plus, it's another good way to push for the end of all proprietary 
software, which, as a long term FSF contributor, is something I am also 
personally very keen on...

So there you have it. You see a problem, whereas I see yet another great 
opportunity to make the (software) world better for end users ;)

Regards,

/Pete