Re: [boost] Re: sockets library

From: Ross Smith (r-smith_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-12-20 03:22:03

mfdylan wrote:
> 
> --- In boost_at_y..., Ross Smith <r-smith_at_i...> wrote:
> >
> > I'm convinced that iostreams should be reserved strictly for human
> > readable text I/O, and not used for computer-to-computer
> communication,
> > such as sockets.
> >
> Well, er, most (if not all) common internet protocols are in fact
> human readable.  For a start they are easy to debug, and work
> regardless of byte-ordering or floating point storage mechanisms.
> In fact unless efficiency (in space or time) is a problem, ascii

In library design (as opposed to application design), efficiency is
_always_ a problem. ("You can build a safe library on top of an
efficient one, but not the other way around." -- James Kanze.) If you
don't give it priority in library design, you're narrowing your user
base to a subset of potential users.

C++ is a general purpose language; uncompromising efficiency is a
cornerstone of its success. If you want Java, you know where to find it.

-- 
Ross Smith ...................................... Auckland, New Zealand
r-smith_at_[hidden] ......................... http://storm.net.nz/~ross/
  "We need a new cosmology. New gods. New sacraments. Another drink."
                                                       -- Patti Smith