[boost] Re: Re: int_const_guidelines out of date?

From: Markus Werle (numerical.simulation_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-11-26 05:23:13

Daniel Wallin wrote:

> There are lots of people who are still using old compilers. VC6/VC7 and
> even really old GCC versions, like 2.95.x. For example, my university
> has GCC 3.1.

Oooh, 3.1 was really a mess.
Contact your system administrators immediately!

If they do not react: how about pulling the sources of a newer one,
configure --prefix=/home/daniel/gcc-3.4 && make && make install?
(this is the only thing gcc-3.1 is good for)

> It might be true that there are compilers available that
> can compile your code on 90% of all computer platforms. However, I doubt
> that 90% of all C++ developers can use those compilers in their daily
> work.

I am talking about an Expression Template library, 
which is hard enough to write anyway, since it features
gimmicks like automatic analytic differentiation 
at compile time and/or expression simplification.

Although I saw someone has ported Loki to VC6 I feel not
temptated to follow this road for boost::etl.

Another aspect is: Expression Template techniques
only make sense in places where runtime performance really 
matters. Therefore users who cling to old compilers
must ask themselves what they really want:

If your compiler is not capable to deal with
highly nested template structures and offers no
state-of-the-art optimization anyway then why do you
want to use Expression Templates?

Also note that the C++ standard is from the last century.
5 years ago it was cast in stone, after a long period of 
discussion. 
For our profession this is a really long time.
Compiler vendors who still cannot get it right
IMHO do not _deserve_ to be supported.

OK, I give a chance to everyone:

For every compiler: if 30 users answer this post
and declare that they are really interested in 
Daixtrose to be boostified and that they have no chance 
to switch  compilers within the next 2 years, then I will
try to support that one.

Otherwise it's Intel-C++-7.1/8.0 and gcc-3.4.

Markus

-- 
Build your own Expression Template Library with Daixtrose!
Visit http://daixtrose.sourceforge.net/