Re: [boost] Is this a good idea? std::strlen breaks code

From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-04-23 18:10:45

At 02:15 PM 4/23/2001, jimh_datagrove_com_at_[hidden] wrote:

 >Using the boost scheme of forcing string functions like strlen into
 >std breaks existing code that merely includes a boost header.
 >
 >I use MSVC, which does not put strlen in std namespace (even using
 >cstring).

Microsoft has said that they are fixing that in 7.0.

  I suppose this is evil, but is there a good justification
 >for "fixing" this at the cost of making it miserable to use boost
 >with MSVC code?

Do you have a better workaround?  In another message you suggest:

 >Boost could instead import functions it wants into its own namespace:
 >
 >namespace boost
 >{
 >#if cstring_not_in_std
 > using ::strlen;
 >#else
 > using std::strlen;
 >#endif
 >}

But that penalizes the users of standard conforming compilers, and 
continues to impact even one MSVC starts to conform in a few months.  Boost 
developers often bend over backward to accommodate MSVC, but not at that 
kind of cost.

If someone can come up with a better workaround, great!  But it shouldn't 
be something that has a big impact on users of standard conforming 
libraries and compiler, IMO.

--Beman