[boost] Re: std code cannot use std::someclass<T> (Was: abs and swap -or- overloading vs. specialization.)

From: Valentin Bonnard (Bonnard.V_at_[hidden])
Date: 2000-01-29 16:17:16

Dave Abrahams wrote:

> on 1/29/00 3:10 PM, Valentin Bonnard at Bonnard.V_at_[hidden] wrote:
> 
> >> In each case there are workarounds, however the point here is that the
> >> presence of an overload in namespace std may prevent overwise perfectly
> >> legal C++ code from compiling - and that code could be in your standard
> >> library - in other words simply including a user-defined header that
> >> defines overloads in std can disable standard library code.
> >
> > That's correct. It would basically imply that lib code
> > cannot use standard lib templates or function, only
> > non-standard ones. And that's _not_ what we wanted. YADR.
> >
> 
> YADR? Please decode.

Yet Another DR (as in yacc, YAPL (Yet Another Public License))

> Personally, I don't think I'd mind putting that restriction on library
> implementors. 

The commitee at least didn't intended to put this restriction.

> The fact that most names are available to users for use as
> preprocessor macros is a much more serious restriction on implementors.

The fact that implementors must stay away from a _namespace_ 
is more important than the inability to use any standard 
container (and perhaps algorithms, if overloading in std or 
partial function specialisation were allowed) while implementing 
others ?

(Note the effect on efficiency, when the user has provided 
a specialised and more efficient version.)

-- 
Valentin Bonnard