[boost] Re: [congif] BOOST_BEFRIEND_TEMPLATE, BOOST_PRIVATE

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-03-05 21:09:30

"Peter Dimov" <pdimov_at_[hidden]> writes:

> Jonathan Turkanis wrote:
>> David Abrahams wrote:
>>> "Peter Dimov" <pdimov_at_[hidden]> writes:
>>>
>>>>>          BOOST_BEFRIEND_TEMPLATE(shared_ptr, Y, 1)
>>>>>          BOOST_BEFRIEND_TEMPLATE(weak_ptr, Y, 1)
>>>>>          T * px;                     // contained pointer
>>>>>          detail::shared_count pn;    // reference counter
>>>>
>>>> This doesn't look any better to me than the original, sorry. ;-)
>>>
>>> I agree with Peter.  In fact, to me it looks significantly worse.
>>
>> Well, there's no accounting for taste. ;-) I use similar macros a lot
>> in the Preboost Interfaces library.
>
> This has nothing to do with taste. The original version of the code can be 
> understood immediately as it only relies on general C++ knowledge. The 
> macro-based version adds a level of indirection; you now need to look at the 
> documentation or the definition of the macros. 

Right.  It would be different if the macros significantly raised the
abstraction level, but they don't.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com