Re: [boost] Boost Units library preview

From: Deane Yang (deane_yang_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-08-28 16:50:39

I've taken a quick look at the documentation of Ben's units library and 
tried to compile it using VC++ 8.0.

Andy Little wrote:
> 
> I liked the example in basic.cpp. It compiled and ran OK in gcc4.0 but
> unfortunately not in VC7.1.

I was unable to get it to compile in VC8.0. It gives errors in the 
compile-time rational number code (in compile_time_number.hpp).

> Overall the library needs needs to be fleshed out
> much more though IMO.
> 

Not for me. It looks very close to what I want. The only thing I would 
like to see is a preferred implementation for explicit conversion 
between different units of the same dimension. I could probably add this 
layer to the library myself but was wondering if you've done this already.

> However I disagree that users like to spend time making their own units.

I disagree with Andy's disagreement. Only physicists working with all of 
the physical dimensions would find it more convenient to have a library 
with lots of dimensions and units prebuilt. For most applications (it 
seems to be very hard to convince the physicists that a units library 
has applications outside of physics), a more lightweight library is all 
that's needed.

> Also I/O is
> useful.

Built-in I/O is more important when the library comes with a lot of 
built-in dimensions and units. It's much less important when the library 
does not.

Deane