[boost] Re: Bag concept

From: Kevlin Henney (Kevlin.Henney_at_[hidden])
Date: 2000-01-12 16:50:59

> > I feel this would be better termed a Dispenser (or Dispensor, if you
wish
> > to follow the *or convention used elsewhere :->). First, this is the
more
> > common term for the concept. Second, the term Bag already denotes
something
> > else: a set with repeating elements.
>
>I was borrowing the term from Smalltalk, where it is used in the way I
>described above.

IIRC, Smalltalk used the term to mean a set with repeating elements. In
which case, the mistaken identity strongly suggests using another term.

>The problem with "Dispenser" is that the common definition only has
>the notion of removing, not also adding.

A matter of perspective: in line with the definition I've seen in practice,
a dispenser is something to which items can be both added and removed. As
an example, earlier I was unable to get a drink because the drinks
dispenser was being refilled!

Kevlin