Recommended STL implementations for MSVC

From: Mike Sackett (msackett_at_[hidden])
Date: 2000-12-17 09:36:34

[ I've asked this indirectly in a different message, but I'm really
curious so I thought I'd dig a little deeper. ]

I've read lots about how deficient Microsoft's STL implementation is in
MSVC 6.  But I also get the impression that despite its flaws, that's
the implementation that is most heavily used and tested (and worked
around by library writers such as the boost group).

Does anyone have any opinion about the 'best conforming' and 'safest'
STL implementations for use with MSVC?  (I realize that these may be
conflicting goals.)  STLPort looks really interesting to me.

Also, while we're in this general subject area, are there other compilers
for Win32 which work well and conform better to the standard?  

My criteria for 'working well' are:
- reliable      [ ahh, if it were only this simple ]
- fast compiles [ I don't see how you can live on Windows without 
                  precompiled headers ]
- at least some support for the standard Windows headers
                [ MFC, ATL, etc. is nice but optional for me ] 

Thanks for whatever impressions anyone has.