RE: [boost] smart_ptr vs smart_resource

From: Rozental, Gennadiy (gennadiy.rozental_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-02-20 14:12:19

> Well the problem I see is that we are using an entity with 
> "pointer" written
> all over it (the name especially, but also the primary 
> semantics). Surely
> managing general resources according to RAII principles is a 
> more general
> concept than managing pointers to objects?
> At the very least there should be a smart resource concept, 
> perhaps embodied
> in a shared_resource template or, better still, a policy-based
> smart_resource. shared_ptr/ smart_ptr may then be specialisations or
> instantiations of these.
> I have argued previously that these concepts should be kept 
> separate such
> that smart_resource is a parallel concept to smart_ptr, but 
> recently I am
> inclined to agree that there is a relationship. However many 
> (most?) of the
> smart_ptr proponents seem to favour assimilating the smart 
> resource concept
> into smart_ptr itself!

1. It's all only word games. smart_ptr does not really *point* to resource,
or *refer* to the resource. In essence it MANAGE the resource.
The way it point/refer to the resource is secondary (it may be c++ pointer,
c++ reference, some kind of handle and so on). So the best name
may be smart_manager, or even smart_resource_maanger. But I would prefer
existent name. It's well esteblished idiom: you say smart pointer - one
understand that we are talking about resource management.

2. As for the difference in semantics between generic smart_resource and
smart_prt, I argue that once you start implementing generic all purpose
framework for smart resource management you will end up with the same
semantics as smart_ptr has (there may be some minor differencies with
comparison operators)

Gennadiy.