c89 COMPAT binder option default and programs from an earlier release

As of z/OS® V1R8 XL C/C++, the c89 utility no longer emits the default for the COMPAT binder option. This change prevents inadvertant attempts to use features that are not supported by the targeted release. It means that you have the option to obtain the binder defaults for the COMPAT option but you are not forced to override the c89 default when you bind applications intended to run on earlier releases. If you want to maintain the previous c89 utility behavior, you must do one of the following:

Set the _PVERSION environment variable to a release earlier than z/OS V1R8 XL C/C++.
Specify the COMPAT option on the command line. For example: -Wl,compat=curr.

If you want to override the binder default for the COMPAT option using the C/C++ cataloged procedures, specify the desired COMPAT option in the BPARM proc variable.

Note: When the TARGET compiler option is used, binder features that are not supported by the targeted release should not be used. In previous releases of the z/OS C/C++ compiler, the default COMPAT option had to be overridden.