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We have a desktop application which needs to expose API.
Some people say: API should have an abstraction layer so actual implementation can change in future versions.
Others say: API should be version specific. So an API which uses version X will only work with it. Version X+1 will also deploy the dll’s of version X in order not to break existing usage. This is claimed to be aligned with how frameworks like .Net or Silverlight works.
What is your opinion?
Some questions that you should consider:
My opinion is that you should maintain API compatibility across versions if at all possible. Microsoft have achieved it, mostly, with Office and it’s why there are so many add-ins, accessories and LOB applications built around them. I, for example, wrote an application on-top of Access XP that used Excel automation quite heavily and it works without error in Office 2010. That’s what I call compatibility!