Re: [boost] Re: resource manager naming

From: Greg Colvin (Gregory.Colvin_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-02-28 10:17:27

At 03:46 AM 2/28/2003, Joel de Guzman wrote:
>Terje Slettebø wrote:
>
>>> You don't need to know the template parameters to know that it
>>> is a *pair*. That's the big difference. The template parameter is an
>>> abstract concept. Detached from the parameters, it is still a pair.
>>> The same does
>> not
>>> hold for managed<T>. What is "managed"? It is not even a noun
>>> without the qualifiers.
>>
>> Good point, it's not a noun. "resource_manager", "manager" or
>> "resource" are nouns, so they may be better.
>>
>>>     managed<widget> // does this *manage* the actual rendering into
>>> the window?
>>>
>>> Gotcha! No it doesn't!
>>
>> To adjust it so it becomes a noun:
>>
>> manager<widget>
>>
>> Manager of widget. It's kind of implied that what is managed is the
>> resource itself, even though "resource" doesn't say anywhere. This is
>> similar to that you think it's implied that resource<widget> means it
>> manages the resource, even though "manage" doesn't say anywhere.
>>
>> By the way, I used "widget" in the meaning of "anything", as it's
>> used some places (like "foo" and "bar").
>
>Look at it this way. Which noun best describes the following:
>1) You acquire it
>2) You release it
>3) You transfer its ownership
>
>A) manager
>B) resource
>C) managed

releaser

>> "resource_manager" starts to look attractive, again. ;)
>
>Perhaps. But there's a *better* and *shorter* alternative that very well fits
>the description. We can say: linear_list_of_items_manager<int>, YUCK!
>Instead, we say list<int>. The management *is* implicit!
>
>Also, in general, I would say that any name suffixed by "_manager" are best
>used for classes that manage *many* things simultaneously, NOT JUST ONE.
>Take a window_manager for example. It is something that manages the operations
>of many windows. In the Macintosh, for example, the resource manager manages
>"all* the resources in an application.
>
>--
>Joel de Guzman
>joel at boost-consulting.com
>http://www.boost-consulting.com
>http://spirit.sf.net
>
>
>
>
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