Re: [boost] Most needed/desired features in C++

From: Peter Dimov (pdimov_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-02-18 06:46:05

From: "Herb Sutter" <hsutter_at_[hidden]>
> Hi folks,
>
> Pardon if this has already been discussed on the list, but I'd like your
> feedback on this question: "What are the most needed or desired features
in
> C++ for modern library writing in general and Boost in particular?"
>
> Two usual suspects:
>  - typedef templates
>  - typeof (with gcc semantics?)

As I have been repeatedly stating, gcc typeof() is useless for library
writing. It is a nice syntactic sugar.

typeof(std::cout << 5) should be std::ostream&, not std::ostream.

> What else should be on the list?

- a solution to the argument forwarding problem.
- a solution to the "emulate varargs using N overloads" problem. (N^2 if the
previous is not resolved.)

> For example, is there language support that
> would assist type traits?

- a mechanism for querying the compiler for any information that is readily
available (but impossible to obtain using the current language), including,
but not limited to, the type of an expression, the alignment of a type, the
various properties of the type that the type_traits library tries to
address, and so on.

- another vote for let/auto/whatever automatic declarations:

let f = boost::bind(&X::f, _1, 5);

- a metadata mechanism w/ reflection support would be nice. ;-) I'm already
tired of writing class descriptions.