How to keep up with outdated code?

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#1

My subject line probably wasn’t the best description, so I’ll try again here…

I’ve noticed while learning Corona that some of the tutorials and sample code out there doesn’t seem to work properly. Some of the code I am trying may be one or two years old and I’m wondering… how to properly learn Corona with possible obsolete code examples that are out there.

Is it possible that new versions of Corona might not work properly with code that is old? Or… should it work regardless of code age?

Hope my question makes sense… :wink: [import]uid: 141560 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 333166[/import]

#2

Hello,
Yes, some old methods will be phased out or changed significantly, and some older sample code won’t work in new Corona builds. This is a fast-evolving industry and the best solution (or perhaps the only solution) is to learn as fast as possible, and when something doesn’t work, find another example that does, or ask in the forums for a solution.

No platform can be 100% forever backwards-compatible, and that includes Corona. :slight_smile:

Brent Sorrentino [import]uid: 9747 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 131697[/import]

#3

But it’s not all that bad. See what’s erroring, go to the documentation for the build you’re running and make sure nothing has changed. If it has, update your sample.

Regression is one of the evils of software development that makes everyone’s life a misery. I don’t make enough money off of some of my older apps to warrant any development time on them, but they needed to be iPhone 5 ready so I had to go back and fix things. At least there is revenue tied to it. When we write tutorials, provide sample code, there is no ROI on the time to go back and update them. I know I’ve got sample code that’s out of date and tutorials that will advise you incorrectly. I’d love to go back and keep them going, but I gotta pay bills and revenue generating projects come first.

Then you have the issue of people who’ve written things and have left the field. Those will never get updated and there is no good way, if we want a product like Corona SDK to evolve into something even more stellar than it is, that we can keep 100% backwards compatibility.

@mpappas you brought back memories mentioning VAX’s. My first job out of college was to computerize the campus of a community college. When I started, **MY** VAX-11/780 was still in shrink wrap on it’s pallet. The DEC saleman liked to joke that I had the largest PC. I loved that job and My VAX. [import]uid: 19626 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 131762[/import]

#4

@rob – haha, that’s some “desktop” you had there. I just missed the mini-era, started on the initial wave of micros (apple II, Atari 400/800, commodore VIC, and then the IBM PC. I thought those “laptops” (like the Compaq portables) were pretty cool…

Same kinda thing is still going on. Like they say, the one thing that that stays constant, is change.

[import]uid: 79933 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 131769[/import]

#5

That last part is true Brent, for VAX, MS-DOS, Mac OS, Windows, for iOS and Android, and probably for Galactic OS 5.0 as well… (and all the apps and sdks on them, developed before, or in the future).

Not to belittle CoronaLabs, and all that they do – they have bitten off a lot… Besides trying to build new features, they’re trying to keep the old ones running. Features built for iOS 4.2 suddenly don’t work the day iOS 5.0 is released. Next thing you know, Android releases a new version, and a variety of android features don’t work on the new release… But they get that fixed up pretty quick. Just in time for iOS 6.0 to be released (where a bunch of different features don’t work).

It sort of like trying to keep a car running, while you constantly have to change the parts. Sort of. Because for CoronaLabs, it’s a couple of cars (the different OS’s). And if the car stalls, a buncha users are gonna yell at ya :wink: From my own perspective, they seem to be doing a pretty good job of it too.

But still, even with all that… it would be nice for coronaLabs to update the docs a little more frequently - like on this major release they’re doing right now :slight_smile: [import]uid: 79933 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 131702[/import]

#6

Hello,
Yes, some old methods will be phased out or changed significantly, and some older sample code won’t work in new Corona builds. This is a fast-evolving industry and the best solution (or perhaps the only solution) is to learn as fast as possible, and when something doesn’t work, find another example that does, or ask in the forums for a solution.

No platform can be 100% forever backwards-compatible, and that includes Corona. :slight_smile:

Brent Sorrentino [import]uid: 9747 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 131697[/import]

#7

But it’s not all that bad. See what’s erroring, go to the documentation for the build you’re running and make sure nothing has changed. If it has, update your sample.

Regression is one of the evils of software development that makes everyone’s life a misery. I don’t make enough money off of some of my older apps to warrant any development time on them, but they needed to be iPhone 5 ready so I had to go back and fix things. At least there is revenue tied to it. When we write tutorials, provide sample code, there is no ROI on the time to go back and update them. I know I’ve got sample code that’s out of date and tutorials that will advise you incorrectly. I’d love to go back and keep them going, but I gotta pay bills and revenue generating projects come first.

Then you have the issue of people who’ve written things and have left the field. Those will never get updated and there is no good way, if we want a product like Corona SDK to evolve into something even more stellar than it is, that we can keep 100% backwards compatibility.

@mpappas you brought back memories mentioning VAX’s. My first job out of college was to computerize the campus of a community college. When I started, **MY** VAX-11/780 was still in shrink wrap on it’s pallet. The DEC saleman liked to joke that I had the largest PC. I loved that job and My VAX. [import]uid: 19626 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 131762[/import]

#8

@rob – haha, that’s some “desktop” you had there. I just missed the mini-era, started on the initial wave of micros (apple II, Atari 400/800, commodore VIC, and then the IBM PC. I thought those “laptops” (like the Compaq portables) were pretty cool…

Same kinda thing is still going on. Like they say, the one thing that that stays constant, is change.

[import]uid: 79933 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 131769[/import]

#9

That last part is true Brent, for VAX, MS-DOS, Mac OS, Windows, for iOS and Android, and probably for Galactic OS 5.0 as well… (and all the apps and sdks on them, developed before, or in the future).

Not to belittle CoronaLabs, and all that they do – they have bitten off a lot… Besides trying to build new features, they’re trying to keep the old ones running. Features built for iOS 4.2 suddenly don’t work the day iOS 5.0 is released. Next thing you know, Android releases a new version, and a variety of android features don’t work on the new release… But they get that fixed up pretty quick. Just in time for iOS 6.0 to be released (where a bunch of different features don’t work).

It sort of like trying to keep a car running, while you constantly have to change the parts. Sort of. Because for CoronaLabs, it’s a couple of cars (the different OS’s). And if the car stalls, a buncha users are gonna yell at ya :wink: From my own perspective, they seem to be doing a pretty good job of it too.

But still, even with all that… it would be nice for coronaLabs to update the docs a little more frequently - like on this major release they’re doing right now :slight_smile: [import]uid: 79933 topic_id: 33166 reply_id: 131702[/import]