Re: [boost] typelists: MPL tutorial + partial review

From: Iain.Hanson_at_[hidden]
Date: 2001-12-14 14:45:11

Author:  andrewalex (andrewalex_at_[hidden]) at unix,mime
Date:    13/12/01 21:32

>> Slick.  :)  Again, I don't understand it completely, but 
>>I appreciate its greater simplicity.  I feel like I have a
>> _chance_ to understand it completely now.  Thanks!
>
>I think a compelling MPL example would be one that:
>
>1. Solves a real-world problem.
>2. Cannot be solved simpler without basically rewriting a significant subset 
>of MPL.
>3. Is comprehensible outside a handful of people.

I don't personally consider 3 to be that important. When the STL was first 
available only a handful of people understood it. And even today, books 
like Scott Meyers Effective STL are necessay to a large number of 
programmers. Very few programmers that I have met would dream of looking 
inside the 'box' at the source code. They know it would frighten them.

Looking inside STL is for the brave and for library writters. I think the 
same is true of MPL. We don't yet have meta programming for Dummies or in 
21 days and I doubt that we ever will. We don't yet even have a good book 
on meta programming Idioms and Design patterns.

>1 and 3 are somewhat complementary: the more general interest the problem 
>is, the more the solution is allowed to be intricate. So far I've only 
>seen complicated solutions to problems that can be solved in simpler ways.

Alexy posted a rationale for mpl after you stated that it was to complex. I 
have seen you address that yet.

If you have a solution to the GenScatter that is simpler and equally 
generic the please post it. Assertions don't tend to carry much technical 
information.

/ikh

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