Actually, adding columns to the end of the table works from Hive 1.2 (via HDP 2.5.4). In particular, you can use alter table <tbl> add columns (<col1> <type1>, <col2> <type2>); In Hive 2.1, you get additional abilities to change the column types. In the eventual Hive 2.2, you'll get the ability to delete and reorder columns.
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