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Re: IDLv5.4 [message #22933] Fri, 22 December 2000 02:23
Martin Schultz is currently offline  Martin Schultz
Messages: 515
Registered: August 1997
Senior Member
David Fanning wrote:
>
> Jeffrey Newmark (newmark@eitv2.nascom.nasa.gov) writes:
>
>> I was wondering if anyone has had problems reading save sets
>> made with IDL V5.4 on older versions? Is this a feature?
>
> Uh, yes. It has been a feature since IDL 0.934b.
>
>> I can read old save sets on the new version. If indeed the savesets
>> are not backwards compatible, that is very annoying!
>
> What can I say. Get used to disappointment. :-)
>
> Cheers,
>
> David
>
> P.S. Let's just say I'm working on a future-looking
> version of IDL that will anticipate all the new features
> in the product up through February 29th, 2043. You
> should see the list!!

Oh, actually some degree of forward compatibility _is_ possible after
all. I recently opened my eyes in amazement when I was able to read a
text document produced with StarOffice 5.2 in the StarOffice 5.1
version. Seems like this would never be possible with MS Word, for
they release new versions every so often specifically to ensure that
the file format changes.

In terms of the IDL sav files, it should be possible for RSI to create
a file format that is preserved over version changes most of the time,
so that only new features will not be recognized when reading them
into an older version of IDL. In fact, some work on this could open
possibilities for cheap (free?) runtime licenses allowing only
execution of sav files but no pro file compilation or interactive
command line. Right now it seems practically impossible to distribute
applications as sav files because you have to provide one for every
new version (I vaguely remember that sav files are not even backwards
compatible ?).

Cheers,
Martin


--
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ [[[[[[[
[[ Dr. Martin Schultz Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie [[
[[ Bundesstr. 55, 20146 Hamburg [[
[[ phone: +49 40 41173-308 [[
[[ fax: +49 40 41173-298 [[
[[ martin.schultz@dkrz.de [[
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ [[[[[[[
Re: IDLv5.4 [message #22938 is a reply to message #22933] Thu, 21 December 2000 13:38 Go to previous message
davidf is currently offline  davidf
Messages: 2866
Registered: September 1996
Senior Member
Pavel A. Romashkin (pavel.romashkin@noaa.gov) writes:

> Reading all these responses one might think that most of the people who
> post here are quite unhappy with IDL.

Au contraire. (Spelling? I'm still working on my German,
I can't be expected to know French, too.)

After fooling around with a LOT of software this month,
I have to tell you I am only too happy to be back working
in IDL. It's peculiar, certainly, but it's not generally
vicious. And it *never* installs phantom devices. :-)

Cheers,

David

--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting
Phone: 970-221-0438 E-Mail: davidf@dfanning.com
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
Toll-Free IDL Book Orders: 1-888-461-0155
Re: IDLv5.4 [message #22939 is a reply to message #22938] Thu, 21 December 2000 13:10 Go to previous message
Pavel A. Romashkin is currently offline  Pavel A. Romashkin
Messages: 531
Registered: November 2000
Senior Member
Reading all these responses one might think that most of the people who
post here are quite unhappy with IDL. I noticed that any new version is
able to read and write ascii just fine. For sophisticated data exchange,
there are designated, specified formats, like CDF etc that can be read
by our own code or IDL built-in ones. IDL's .sav files in my
understanding are a proprietary format, and I am glad they are
platform-indpendent within the same IDL version - which I think the
purpose of .sav format is. Maybe we should not expect too much. Try
reading MSWord 2000 formatted file with MSWord 2 for Windows.

Cheers,
Pavel
Re: IDLv5.4 [message #22940 is a reply to message #22939] Thu, 21 December 2000 12:22 Go to previous message
Paul van Delst is currently offline  Paul van Delst
Messages: 364
Registered: March 1997
Senior Member
Jeffrey Newmark wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I was wondering if anyone has had problems reading save sets
> made with IDL V5.4 on older versions? Is this a feature? I
> can read old save sets on the new version. If indeed the savesets
> are not backwards compatible, that is very annoying!

Backwards compatibility? Now there's a concept. Isn't what you're trying to do like attempting to
compile Fortran90 code with a FORTRAN IV compiler? Lucky you're not SAVEing compiled code in IDL -
that's not even upwardly compatible!

paulv

--
Paul van Delst A little learning is a dangerous thing;
CIMSS @ NOAA/NCEP Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring;
Ph: (301) 763-8000 x7274 There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
Fax: (301) 763-8545 And drinking largely sobers us again.
Email: pvandelst@ncep.noaa.gov Alexander Pope.
Re: IDLv5.4 [message #22941 is a reply to message #22940] Thu, 21 December 2000 12:18 Go to previous message
davidf is currently offline  davidf
Messages: 2866
Registered: September 1996
Senior Member
Jeffrey Newmark (newmark@eitv2.nascom.nasa.gov) writes:

> I was wondering if anyone has had problems reading save sets
> made with IDL V5.4 on older versions? Is this a feature?

Uh, yes. It has been a feature since IDL 0.934b.

> I can read old save sets on the new version. If indeed the savesets
> are not backwards compatible, that is very annoying!

What can I say. Get used to disappointment. :-)

Cheers,

David

P.S. Let's just say I'm working on a future-looking
version of IDL that will anticipate all the new features
in the product up through February 29th, 2043. You
should see the list!!

--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting
Phone: 970-221-0438 E-Mail: davidf@dfanning.com
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
Toll-Free IDL Book Orders: 1-888-461-0155
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