Re: [Boost-users] Getting started with Boost: what did you need to know?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-01-31 23:22:13

Merrill Cornish <merrill.cornish_at_[hidden]> writes:

> David,
>
> Having an introductory video to _Boost_ is problematic
> since there's no one thing called "Boost".  Instead, it's a
> collection of often disparate libraries.  

The "one thing" is the library collection.

> Each of the libraries could reasonably be featured in its only
> "getting started" video.

That would be "Getting started with library X," not "getting started
with Boost."

> However, if the point is to _sell_ the whole Boost idea, then
> one alternative would be to bypass the details of syntax and 
> function calls of the various libraries in favor of a "Why 
> do you need Boost" talk/pitch/video.  Talk about what 
> kind of everyday problems it solves for you rather than
> trying to explain the nitty gritty (and 200 levels of nested
> template declarations) of each library.

I never had any intention to do anything like that that.

> The pitch would verbally sketch (i.e. probably no code) a
> real world programming problem, then point out what the
> Boost library has to help out.  A series of problem sketches
> would allow the pitch to cover a lot of otherwise disjoint
> Boost functionality and still make sense.

I'm not planning to design a video from scratch to "pitch" Boost.
*If* we can do this, it'll be a capture of the talk I give at SD West.
So it's not going to be a pitch; at least, it won't be any more of a
pitch than is warranted by the abstract for that talk.

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