On Monday, January 5th, 2026 at 1:34 PM, Barry Revzin via Std-Proposals <std-proposals_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> Exactly. Hyrum's Law is simply an observation that observable behavior will be depended upon. It's not an obligation that all observable behavior be preserved in perpetuity. If a library, having seen the new feature, decides to actually rename their parameters, they certainly can choose to. It's just a choice for that library to make. Just like it's a choice for any other change they might want to make.


There is a huge difference between having
a choice to receive a benefit by violating one's
own principle and having a choice with
no enforced side-effect. The former isn't a
choice. There are sufficient philosophical
discussions around this topic that you can
enjoy without us going OT.

--
Zhihao Yuan, ID lichray
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
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