Re: [boost] Technical session at the October C++ meeting?

From: Howard Hinnant (hinnant_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-08-15 12:11:00

On Wednesday, August 15, 2001, at 11:36  AM, David Abrahams wrote:

> That said, it is only used as an /implementation detail/ of other boost
> libraries. There is no reason a vendor couldn't implement any of the 
> boost
> library interfaces without using boost::type_traits (except that it 
> would be
> a lot of work). From a standardization POV, I don't see how library
> implementation dependencies are relevant to which libraries are 
> considered
> first.

I think what you say is true.  It's just that I think ignoring lib 
dependencies will make an already difficult task even more so.

As a hypothetical example, consider a proposal for compressed_pair.  If 
it is  going to take compiler magic to find out if we can optimize away 
the space of one of the members, we need to consult with the core 
working group which can significantly complicate and slow things down.  
On the other hand, if we already know how to do this from a previous lib 
submission that was looked on favorably, then we can concentrate more on 
the question of whether the functionality and interface provided by 
compressed_pair is suitable for standardization.

On a related subject, I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to brief 
the lwg on the status of boost::threads.  I personally have not been 
keeping up with this one.  But I do think it is a strategically 
important piece of work, even if it has not reached maturity.

-Howard