[boost] Re: operator.h (Was: Any good reason not to have == for shared_ptr?)

From: Valentin Bonnard (Bonnard.V_at_[hidden])
Date: 1999-11-13 13:44:33

Darin Adler wrote:

> Valentin:
> > We are not talking about the same things; I am talking about (roughly):
> >
> > template <class T>
> > struct equalty_comparable
> > {
> >     friend bool operator!= (T, T);
> > };
> 
> Oh! Great! It seems that would work fine.
> 
> It seems a little strange to use "friend" in this way, since operator !=
> doesn't need any special access to the class equality_comparable, but I
> guess it's the only way. Seems a bit sneaky.

To me, friend is a scope !

So there are member functions, free functions, and friends.

> I guess I
> don't understand the original remark Dave Abrahams made a while back.

You aren't alone.

-- 
Valentin Bonnard