IDL SAVE file compatibility (followup)

[Craig Markwardt <craigmnet(at)cow.physics.wisc.edu>]

I've gotten word from someone at RSI that the next version of IDL is
planned to be able to create save files which are again compatible
with old versions.  To recap the problem, IDL 5.4 appears to create
files on some platforms which are unreadable by older versions of IDL.

The next version of IDL should:
 * read files generated by IDL 5.4 and earlier
 * write files which are readable by IDL 5.4 and earlier
   (of course IDL < 5.3 won't be able to read > 2 gigabyte files)
 * have a converter program to convert files generated by IDL 5.4 into
   the more compatible format.

I think the RSI people realized the difficulty that people were in,
and are responding.  Good stuff.

That being said, you can also try my SAVE library today, which is able
to selectively read, selectively write, and perform directory listings
of IDL SAVE files.  The library can write and read files compatible
with IDL 4 through 5.4.

http://cow.physics.wisc.edu/~craigm/idl/idl.html  (under Save Files)

Craig

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Craig B. Markwardt, Ph.D.         EMAIL:    craigmnet@cow.physics.wisc.edu
Astrophysics, IDL, Finance, Derivatives | Remove "net" for better response
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