RE: [boost] Re: Re: [boost.optional && boost.variant] Why can't weallowreferences?

From: Hartmut Kaiser (hartmutkaiser_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-08-28 00:28:38

Fernando Cacciola wrote:

> optional<U> means that you either has or don't has an instance of U.
> The meanig of 'having' implies some sort of state, and with it,
> storage.
> 
> optional<U> can be seen as a container of capacity 1 which 
> might be empty.
> But how could you 'contain' something that is not an object?

What's wrong with the idiom 'holding a reference or holding nothing'?
How this is different from 'holding an object or holding nothing'? Both
ways may 'nicely' lead to undefined/unexpected behaviour, if the system
isn't designed carefully, this lies in the nature of C++, it's unlimited
power implies unlimited danger :-)

Regards Hartmut