Re: [boost] Submission: typelist

From: Dale E. Strickler (DaleS_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-12-13 10:00:12

Hi all, I am new to the list but I do have a different perspective on this one.

I my mind (in the 'old days') when C++ was still a front end interpreter 
for 16 bit C compilers.  I and me embedded colleges through to size and 
length as very different concepts.  As history moves forward their 
separation has vanished.  I still tend to read 'size' as "how much space is 
used in standard (byte) units."  (A useless meaning in typelist.)  And 
'length' to mean "how many logical units each of some (non-1) size."  (For 
typelists size seems like it should be zero, no run time memory is used by 
them.)

Not that I feel I have any concrete suggestions about interfaces that 
should/should not be supported but I do feel the general clarity 
of  discussions has decreased as the computing field has merged these 
concepts.  IMHO we would have a richer usage of English if we did not 
assume that length and size mean the same thing, though more and more that 
is the case.

Thanks.  This is a great list!

Best Regards,

Dale E. Strickler
President and Sr. Consultant
___________________________________
___________________________________
DES Software Engineering Consulting
E-mail: DaleS_at_[hidden]
  Voice: 434-846-7003 (NOTE New area code!)
    FAX: [phone] (NOTE New area code!)
    Web: www.dessec.com

At 06:31 AM 12/13/01 -0500, you wrote:

> >It seems to me sensible to correct a mistake and call it size at the same
> >time.  In the standard, the name for a function that returns the number of
> >elements in a list (or indeed any container) is spelled s-i-z-e.
>
>Agreed, but it's trivial to have have both (for backward compatibility)
>isn't it?
>
>
>- John Maddock
>http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/john_maddock/
>
>Info: http://www.boost.org  Send unsubscribe requests to: 
><mailto:boost-unsubscribe_at_[hidden]>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Best Regards,

Dale E. Strickler
President and Sr. Consultant
___________________________________
___________________________________
DES Software Engineering Consulting
E-mail: DaleS_at_[hidden]
  Voice: 434-846-7003 (NOTE New area code!)
    FAX: [phone] (NOTE New area code!)
    Web: www.dessec.com