[boost] Re: Boost to the rescue

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-04-27 16:09:56

"Paul A Bristow" <pbristow_at_[hidden]> writes:

>  
>
> | -----Original Message-----
> | From: boost-bounces_at_[hidden] 
> | [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of JOAQUIN LOPEZ MU?Z
> | Sent: 15 April 2005 18:45
> | To: boost_at_[hidden]
> | Subject: Re: [boost] Re: Boost to the rescue
> | 
> | 
> | 
> | ----- Mensaje original -----
>  Speaking of which, I've got the nasty feeling that
> | a good portion of the C++ programming community have
> | heard of Boost but don't use it because:
> | 
> | 1. It's too big.
> | 2. It's too hard to install.
> | 3. The docs are too technical.
> | 4. They fear it's too "advanced" for them to understand it.
> | 
> I have also heard several comments like this too.
>
> I would suggest that the documentation should stress that
> most of the Boost code is header only, 

I'm not sure we should make too much of that.  I don't know how long
that will remain the case, and anyway it may not matter to the person
who's really interested in Boost.Python or Serialization or Threads,
or Regex, or...

> and that one only need to add the location of the unpacked code to
> the include path to get access to tons of really useful stuff.

Well, as long as you put it that way, maybe there's something to it.

> Grappling with new tools, like bjam
> (useful and essential as they may be)
> is a real turn off.

Yeah, well we need to make that easier and more accessible.

> We need to get people started.

Yep.

> Only when they are hooked will they be prepared to invest
> in the effort to build the invaluable regex and the like.

Yep.

> And documentation MUST have TONS of EXAMPLES.

Yep.

> This is where most people start. 
> Without examples, they never start.

Someone at ACCU suggested that we have a "libraries overview page"
that contains a short introduction and a mini-tutorial example for
each of the libraries.  I think it's a great idea and would vastly
increase accessibility of the libraries.

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