Use this API, no this one, nope now this one, you almost caught up, so we released a newer, more better one! Please buy Awesome Studio and RDMS 2015 or you are a loser. Here's a free version that can't do shit, the Pro version is only $2000, plus lots of your time adjusting to a newer mono/flat chrome development environment. Hot keys only for touch screen users!
But that wouldn't have the same emotional appeal as MS ;)
Microsoft has actually done a pretty good job maintaining backwards compatibility, considering the size of their user base and variety of software to accommodate. Though perhaps that makes it a better metaphor for PHP development than Python.
No reason you can't do that with Python 2.7. Should be easier in fact because the interface will be much thinner.
I am NOT saying this is a good idea however! Haha
Particularly look at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms810810.aspx#bkmk_D... and windows current / deprecated/obsoleted ones.
Just to connect your Windows program to a Microsoft database.
As for Apple not being backward compatible, going to have to disagree a bit. Rosetta for example kept ppc code running on intel for a long time (10.6). Apple generally will give you a couple OS release notice that xyz is on its way out, start fixing it now or planning your path. To be honest I prefer that approach. Its measured, but still decent enough to handle moving on. Now with being able to run OSX in vmware fusion i'm pretty much of the opinion the backward compatibility canard in general is kinda a non issue overall. But just my opinion really.
I will say compared to things like systemd/ubuntu I've had a lot less breaking annoyances on OSX than any other unix/os including windows. By and large it works fine. Now mind you all I do is run chrome/firefox/safari/emacs/vmware on osx mostly so not like my needs are complex. But I guess all the rapid change in apple land really kinda goes by me using it. All I do is wait for vmware to work on the new os and then its game on.
I'm rambling but basically I think there is room for both types of iteration, or even a combination.
Depends what you are doing. I worked in a multinational mobile game studio and developers were using Visual C++ express, which was actually pretty capable for what we were doing.