RE: [boost] Numeric Conversion Formal Review

From: Paul A. Bristow (boost_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-12-13 17:41:33

| -----Original Message-----
| From: boost-bounces_at_[hidden]
| [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]]On Behalf Of Thorsten Ottosen
| Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 12:05 PM
| To: boost_at_[hidden]
| Subject: [boost] Numeric Conversion Formal Review
|
|   a.. What is your evaluation of the design?
Looks OK, if complex.

I only worry about the implications of C99 functions being included in the C++
Standard library (as seems very likely). This will provide some useful, but
potentially overlapping functions.  Do we need to worry about this?  If it is
now know to be accepted, it needs at least to be referenced.

|   b.. What is your evaluation of the implementation?

Not tried to reproduce the tests.

|   c.. What is your evaluation of the documentation?

OK, but could be improved.  I note:

1  A fair number of spelling mistakes.  (I offer to proof re-read after
Guillaume Melquiond's substantive comments are done).
2  Lacks a novices guide to using it in practice.  I believe this is really
necessary to ensure it gets used in practice.
3  Lacks (over)-commenting in examples.
4  Copyright info is outdated (last revision was Jan 2003?)
(also Copyright outdated in code).
5  I suspect more references would be helpful (C99?)
6  Most important, it lacks some typical real-life use examples / scenarios.

(and wouldn't it be nice we could arrange boost.css to provide colour for code
sections?
Green for comments are especially helpful.  Can any html whizzes suggest how to
do this easily, and portably?

|   d.. What is your evaluation of the potential usefulness of the library?

Very useful.
|
|   e.. Did you try to use the library?  With what compiler?  Did you have any
| problems?

No.  But the tests looked plausible.

|   f.. How much effort did you put into your evaluation? A glance? A quick
| reading? In-depth study?

About 1 hour reading documentation and glancing at code.
|
|   g.. Are you knowledgeable about the problem domain?

Not anywhere near as knowledgable as other erudite reviewers, but have read the
Goldberg article "What everyone should know about floating point".  And Khan's
"what you can learn about FP in 30 minutes", so not totally novice.
|
|   h.. Do you think the library should be accepted as a Boost library?

Yes.

Paul

Paul A Bristow, Prizet Farmhouse, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 8AB  UK
[phone]   Mobile [phone]
mailto:pbristow_at_[hidden]