Arrrgh! Lots of API changes again!

[mhilpert]

Oh man, it was a hard time to get the 0.9.8 code working after upgrading to 0.9.9. Now, i installed 0.9.10 and everything starts agin! these API changes really are not funny! it takes a lot of time, researching, looking in the new JFreeChart source code because there is no migration description. it really can make you give up on JFreeChart!

[askex2056]

in my opinion software development is an iterative process. Especially in the open source environment, where you have people who are revising their own code - i think this is not that bad. If you are looking for a charting API that never changes, see kavachart. I used it before, and this is a MESS.

You never know what you will have to incorporate next to fullfill the requests from your users and customers. I also have to change my wrapping code (about 4000 LOC to review), but i also do understand that changing an overcome API is better than leaving it - i have even seen that my wrapping code will get clearer and shorter through the changes in 0.9.9.

And if you read the posts below, you will see that the API isn't expected to change as much in the next time
(http://www.jfree.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5090). So stay calm

Regards,
Andreas Schroeder

[mhilpert]

Java API didn't change ever! this is the big advante for developers. the java language specification offers deprecation for changed/removed APIs. this does not break existing code and still offers the opportunity to migrate to the new API. so i strongly suggest to use deprecation instead of just delete existing code and change the API.

by the way: after the step to 0.9.9, it already was said that there will be no more major api changes and none in 1.1.0. but 0.9.10 has again lots of changes that are not all simply replaced by class or method names. sometimes the code structure has to be changed.

[giorgio42]

The API changes are inconvenient (I have gone through the same process, 0.9.8 -> 0.9.9 -> 0.9.10), but they have simplified the API itself a lot.

As long as the library is improving significantly with each release, I don't mind.

My opinion.

Regars
Georg

[mchadha]

Its fine to have api changes when they are done for the right reason. Its imperitive to provide clear documentation on what changed and how to get around subsequent compile / run time issues.

[Guest]

Yeah, I agree with the first speaker on this. Please, please, please do not change the API as often as you do. I like JFreeChart, but having the API changing on me every time there is a new release should not be necessary.

[brownidj]

It would be great if the changes were documented - but doco takes time, almost as much time as writing the code.

Look at it like this: we haven't reached 1.0 yet; if you read the health warnings you knew what to expect. Tough but true. JFreeChart would not be nearly so good and simple to use if the changes had not been made.

And, besides which the changes are documented - all you have to do is read the source code (;

So, there are two ways you can look at this. Either you rewrite small sections of your existing code and grumble or you rewrite small sections of your code and gain a deeper understanding of JFreeChart because you've looked at the source code.

Hey guys, my bottle is always half full!

[david.gilbert]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I foresee fewer API changes and better documentation in any future releases...

[niktobos]

You should deprecate methods between updates so there is more time to adapt and users of the package are aware of api changes