Question:
What does backward compatibility mean with respect to Oracle? If
Oracle is backward compatible, does that mean that I can use 11g new
features and use backward compatibility to make it work on Oracle 9i?
Answer:
Oracle software is not psychic, and Oracle has no way to anticipating
future enhancements, so your example is not backward compatibility!
Backward compatibility works the other way. Oracle
supports backward compatibility so that you do not have to undertake
expensive changes when a feature becomes obsolete.
For example, Oracle
11g supports dictionary managed tablespaces only for backward
compatibility, nobody uses them anymore for new databases.
It means that stuff you compile in 11g should
also work in 9i. It's the same concept as how a color TV can
still play black and white shows .
