[FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH 01/16] doc/filters: document the unstability of the shorthand options notation.

Michael Niedermayer michael at niedermayer.cc
Fri Aug 11 02:56:42 EEST 2017


On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 04:15:55PM +0200, Nicolas George wrote:
> Le tridi 23 thermidor, an CCXXV, Michael Niedermayer a écrit :
> > Please limit the notes in filters.texi and Changelog to the filters and
> > options you intend to change.
> 
> That would defeat the purpose. Doubly so:
> 
> - Being free to change the options as need requires. That means any
>   filter and any option. Not all, not many, but any.
> 
> - Having a rule that is simple to remember instead of a long list.
> 
> Please bring new arguments to the discussion if you want to continue it.

well
First, I dont think a single developer should declare a whole class of
interfaces spaning the areas other developers work on unstable against
one or more objections from them. Or if one has that right then everyone
else should as well.

I maintain several filters and clearly stated that this doc-text does not
apply to them. None of them would benefit from breaking the
order or inserting options in the middle.
In fact with a unstable order there is no benefit from adding options
in the middle, noone could reliably use the new order.

as in if you link to libavfilter 99.123 you can write a:b:c , if you
link to libavfilter 99.124 you can write a:c:b. Update your distro
package and it could change in otherwise unchanged applications.

and none of this in the example above is neccesarily a syntax error
and gives an error message. the different order could just give
different results. thats bad design

I like to re iterate, i do not agree to declaring the option order
of the filters i maintain as unstable.

Even if we could reorder them without disadvantages,
there is no benefit in doing so.

Its trivial to change your docs/changeog patch to avoid my concern, and
its trivial to change MAINTAINERs as well if people value declaring the
interfaces as unstable more than a maintainer who fanatically insist on
maintaining a stable interface in the filters he maintains.

Also there is no long list, just a entry in the changelog and in the
documentation of the specific filter which was changed.
I think we both agree that this is a rare event. And i would argue
it is NOT a event specific to the shorthand interface. Am i not
correct that you would similarly change the named interface if a
cleanup you do benefits from it ?

Thanks
-- 
Michael     GnuPG fingerprint: 9FF2128B147EF6730BADF133611EC787040B0FAB

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