DTM.8:5.3 - Protecting exchange without rejecting a useful new method

A group receives work represented in a new format. Restricting admission of incompatible records can preserve the current exchange function while also obstructing a useful method.

Possible changes include a verified adapter, a more informative compatibility check or a bounded migration of the receiving work. Their subject engineering methods establish whether exchange succeeds. DTM.2/.6 examine how compatibility affects adoption; DTM.9 becomes relevant if the checking response itself changes useful participation.

Calling the new format an infection would conceal the actual problem. Continuing the old arrangement, converting at the boundary and changing the arrangement are alternatives with different costs and consequences.