Re: [boost] Re: 1.29.0?

From: John Maddock (jm_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-09-18 06:25:38

> Welcome to the real world of standards work. It isn't always a straight
> path.
>
> Let me give you an example.  When LWG first started to look at
> boost::regex, an LWG member commented that some aspects of the interface
> were "push" rather than the "pull" (iterator-based) interfaces common in
> the standard.
>
> So there are two existing practices, and they conflict somewhat.
>
> To be responsive, John Maddock's formal proposal for adding regex to the
> Standard Library TR proposes an interface that uses iterators more in
> keeping with the standard than the current Boost version. (John,
appologies
> if I haven't got this quite right).
>
> Now someone might say that such a modified interface proposal is no longer
> existing practice. But the LWG takes a wider view, and expects some
changes
> as an interface is readied for final submission to them.

That's right, in both the regex and boost function cases, there is existing
practice (in that the libraries exist and have been used in the real world),
but that experience has also led the authors to revise their designs _in the
light of experience_.  Those revisions haven't necessarily made it into
production code yet, but there is no point in discussing interfaces that are
about to change...

John Maddock
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/john_maddock/index.htm