Re: [boost] portable hash_map

From: Howard Hinnant (hinnant_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-03-02 16:34:30

Neal Fachan wrote on 3/2/01 3:56 PM
>We noticed you don't include a hash_map template in the 
>Boost libraries. We assume this is because every STL 
>implementation we can find includes their own hash_map.
>
>Unfortunately, none of these hash_map implementations are
>compatible.
>
>We have portable software which uses the native vendor STL
>on all platforms, so this makes using vendors' hash_maps
>troublesome.
>
>What would you advise us to do? We are leaning towards
>taking SGI STL (STLPort)'s hash_map, but putting it into
>it's own quarantined namespace.

I would be very interesed in knowing which incompatibilities among the 
different hash_maps have given you trouble (constructors? hash functions? 
etc.).  And when given two or more different interfaces for a particular 
compatibility issue, which you prefer and why.  I know that there are 
incompatibilities, but I also know that there are many similarities.  
What I don't know is which incompatibilities are serious, and what (if 
anything) is missing from all of the hash_map's that you have tried.

-Howard