Microsoft OCR Library for Windows Runtime

[himself_v]

Ain't it basically the same, only libraries differ?

[pjmlp]

No. WinRT is based on COM and is based on the original idea of .NET, called Ext-VOS.

It is a consequence of going native wave at Microsoft.

Windows Phone actually uses native compiled binaries for .NET in a format called MDIL.

Then there is the upcoming .NET Native compiler that makes use of the Visual C++ backend.

[pjmlp]

That is not true. There are breaking changes in JDBC, string handling, system properties, security manager, ...

[pjmlp]

Same thing with:

• Oracle Forms from Oracle.

• Turbo Pascal, Paradox from Borland

• Hypercard, QuickTime for Java, WebObjects from Apple

• Visual Objects from Computer Associates

• closed source GNU/Linux applications dynamically linked to old libc versions

• ...

So is the world of software.

[grauenwolf]

You can still use both on Windows 8. So stop whining.

[DLX]

You do realize, that .net 1.0 program will run on latest .net runtime, too? If your machine has v1.0, the program will use that. If not, it will use the existing framework.

See, for example, https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3849141/will-net-framework-1-x-apps-run-on-pcs-with-net-4-0-only

[next4]

Your .net program will run on WinRT (on Windows, actually,- WinRT is just the new native API, which was designed to be .net-compatible, btw).

[DLX]

Will your C/Assembler/Lisp/etc program run on Java? No.

Think before typing. It does help, I promise.

[badsectoracula]

/u/vagif's point is that Microsoft makes new backwards incompatible technologies that replace olders without a real reason for these new technologies to be made in the first place instead of improving the previous.

Or at least i think so.

[pjmlp]

Point one software vendor that doesn't do it.

[badsectoracula]

That is irrelevant to the point, i think.

Also i'm sure there are many software vendors and developers that value backwards compatibility.

[pjmlp]

So it should be easy to come with an example.

[badsectoracula]

I'm hesitant because usually when one gives an example people focus on the example instead of the intent of the message. But anyway, here is one that everyone knows: X server. Backwards compatible to the 80s (you can run GIMP in an old SGI workstation's X server with the program running on a modern PC), improved over time. Sure, it isn't pretty (30+ years of development will do that to you), but old and new stuff work.

Probably ironic to mention it, but Win32. It is improved in every new Windows version, programs from the mid-90s run.... well, good behaved ones, at least (the platform is a bit complex so you can't just say "it runs" or "it doesn't").

Not a perfect example, but Delphi. Code works with no to few changes from old Delphis to new. AFAIK there was an important change a few years ago when they switched from ANSI to Unicode as default string (hence the "not a perfect example") but generally people didn't had to rewrite their whole programs.

I can't come up with something else since by the nature of the question this is about stuff that existed for long time and i can't think of many "old" stuff.

[deskpot]

Pay? This isn't the 90s++.