--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, Helen Borrie <helebor@t...>
wrote:

> At 09:47 AM 26/08/2003 +0000, remk_1 wrote:
> >AFAIK, Interbase has this feature. You can open older ODS database
> >using newer version of IB.
>
> No, it was broken and was disabled in IB.

Helen, AFAIR there were 3 or 4 different minor versions of IB6 and
one of them really supported old ODS, one don't support at all and one
for read only, any writes unpredictably could corrupt or not database.
Can't remember exactly what version was correct.

> I hadn't heard that Borland ever implemented it

-

> perhaps it is there for IB 6.5-to-7...

I must warn all of you I have one report (unchecked by personally me
because I'm not interested in IB at all) about impossibility to
downgrade database from IB7 even to IB6.5. Developer swears he did'nt
used any IB7 specific features, just upgraded to it and run some time
database created on FB1 changing only data. When he tried standard
downgrade way - backup using FB or IB6.0.x gbaks on IB7 server to
consequent restore on FB - gbak could'nt backup database with errors
like "segment buffer length shorter than expected. string truncated."
IB7 gbak could make full cycle b/r of this database. He tried
two-phase downgrade - to IB6.5 and then from IB6.5 to FB1 - but gbak
from IB6.5 showed the same error. So, seems experiments with different
clones becomes not safe.

Best regards,
Alexander.