Re: [boost] [serialization] Regressions?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-06-25 18:14:51

"Robert Ramey" <ramey_at_[hidden]> writes:

> This is exactly the thing I'm thinking about.  Without the trap, the user
> would have no clue that he is doing something he really doesn't intend to
> do.  Of course he might say "I want to track it anyway" or he might say -
> well maybe in this example but ...

That might make sense if the set of circumstances you trap actually
had a relationship to the set of problematic circumstances, but it
doesn't.  It's almost like choosing a random set of cases in which to
issue a diagnostic in order to "force the user to think about what
she's doing."  (**) The only difference here is that you're telling
the user which cases will cause the diagnostic.  She may preemptively
const-ify all of her tracked serializations, but how will that help?
Adding const doesn't prevent any bugs; it just silences your
diagnostic.

(**) I don't intend to imply that you used those words, but I read
them often in postings from those who want to deny users abstraction:
exception-handling, garbage collection, classes, operator overloading,
etc.  Yours seems like a similarly patronizing approach.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com