Re: Ready to add dlw_oprs.zip?

From: Daryle Walker (darylew_at_[hidden])
Date: 2000-12-23 19:35:54

on 12/20/00 7:46 AM, Aleksey Gurtovoy at alexy_at_[hidden] wrote:

> Dave Abrahams wrote:
> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Aleksey Gurtovoy" <alexy_at_[hidden]>
[SNIP "totally_ordered" comments, I already did it in the parent post]

>>> * 'bidirectionally_shiftable' - again, just plain 'shiftable' (5.8)
>>> should be good enough and more standard.
>> 
>> I'm not sure. I think the same argument as the one against "comparable"
>> applies here.
> 
> Well, if we already have 'left_shiftable' and 'right_shiftable', I think that
> it's clear that 'shiftable' means the combination of these two, especially
> because it's how they are generically (? - not sure if this is the right word
> :) named in the standard.

I agreed with that.

>>> * 'idempotent' - well, there are no standard term for this (at least no one
>>> that I know about :), and probably it is technically correct, but for me it
>>> just seem to stand out against all others.
>> 
>> Actually, if http://nightflight.com/cgi-bin/foldoc.cgi?idempotent is to be
>> believed, then "idempotent" is almost totally inappropriate.
> 
> Indeed.

On the contrary, I think it is almost totally appropriate.  My dictionary
had a definition of _idempotent_ similar to what the web page had.  I
interpret it as describing an operation that returns a value unchanged in
some circumstances.  Of course, my operation makes it unchanged for every
value, since the unary operator+() acts as an identity function.

Looking at the next-to-last word of the previous paragraph, you're probably
wondering why I didn't use "identity" as the template name.  Well, it was my
other finalist choice when I was deciding the names.  Since the names are
adjectives, I would use the name "identifiable."  Although this name is
mathematically accurate, it could get confused with its less-mathematical
meanings and users could think it has something to do with the type traits
stuff.  The current name trades a little bit of accuracy for
distinctiveness.

[SNIP major stuff on naming schemes and splitting the files]

-- 
Daryle Walker
Mac, Internet, and Video Game Junkie
darylew AT mac DOT com