[boost] Dot in Boost Library Names?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-09-14 15:55:36

[Background for those who don't know: 

    a. when you write a book, the publisher sicks (or is it sics?) a
    copyeditor on your manuscript to clean up all the bad grammar,
    stylistic fauxes pas, and so on.  To reject a change you mark it
    with "stet".

    b. Boost decided long ago, for reasons I don't recall, on a
    convention of writing library names with a period after Boost, as
    in:

       Boost.Python
]

When the copyeditor went over the manuscript for C++ Template
Metaprogramming, she very consistently took out the periods in library
names like Boost.Python, Boost.Bind, etc.  Her changes didn't seem to
hurt the book seriously so rather than laboriously "stet" them all, I
just let it go.

I'm writing a foreword for Bjorn's book soon, so he sent me his
manuscript.  Bjorn consistently uses a different notation.

I thought it made sense for us to get our story straight on how these
names will be represented in publications.  

These were my ideas:

   - The names will be set in roman type

   - The library name will be capitalized

   - The period will only be used when the library name is not
     followed by the word "library":

        The great thing about Boost.Bind is that you can use it with
        member functions and function objects.

        The Boost Bind library was written by Peter Dimov.

   - The word "library" is not part of the library name and is
     therefore lowercased.

Among the moderators and authors everyone agreed with the ideas,
except that there was some discussion of whether and how the dot
should be used.  Some argued for never using the dot; some for always
using it.  An informal -1,0,1 poll was inconclusive:

                              -1 votes      +1 votes
                              --------      --------
                       Never | 1             3
Always Except Before Library | 2             3
                      Always | 1             2

We all thought it would be a good idea to get feedback from the whole
Boost community, **but I don't want this to suck up a lot of list
bandwidth**, so I'm going to close voting at the end of 9/16 (my
time).  If you care how this comes out, please post your -1,0,+1 votes
on the three options above.  Please copy this part of the message into
your reply and vote there:

                         Never: 
  Always Except Before Library: 
                        Always: 

This is a seemingly trivial issue that hardly deserves as much
attention as we've already given it, so I'm crossing my fingers that
we won't enter a bike shed with it ;-)

Thanks,
-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
http://www.boost-consulting.com