Re: std::complex design (Was: N-Dimensional array library submission...)

From: David Abrahams (david.abrahams_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-03-06 14:52:12

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ralf W. Grosse-Kunstleve" <rwgk_at_[hidden]>

> David, five minutes ago I posted this to boost_at_yahoogroups.com.
> It is still no showing up in the list, so here is your special copy:

Yeah, yahoogroups seems to be imploding. I hope it lasts 'till the end
of the week, when we'll transition everyone to a Mailman list maintained
elsewhere.

> In light of the upcoming Curacao meeting David Abrahams and
> myself are discussion a proposal for the revision of
> std::complex. Attached is one facet from our discussion. We
> would like to hear comments if there are different
> opinions.
>
> David Abrahams wrote:
> > I need you to explain why we need a complex<> with a
> > predictable POD-like layout and a way to avoid
> > initializing the members (anything else important about
> > complex<>?)
>
> Regarding David's last point:
>
> It seems to me that this is more a question of how
> containers work rather than one of the design of
> std::complex<T>.

There's still the issue of what happens when I write

complex<double> *p = new complex<double>[10000];

They're separate questions. I think the canonical answer to the vector
issue is "use valarray instead", though I'm not certain of that.

-Dave