Re: [boost] surveying async network io libraries

From: Christopher Kohlhoff (chris_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-08-10 06:12:06

Hi Jose,

I have a couple of comments on asio's cons, as you listed them...

--- Jose <jmalv04_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> asio (asio.sf.net)
> ===
> 
> pros
> - async network io ready (linux epoll as of 0.31)
> 
> cons
> - basic real world code examples (but no http examples)

I can say that asio has been successfully used to develop HTTP servers
and clients (as well as many other protocol implementations such as
XMPP and SOCKS). Of course, that doesn't really help if you are looking
for an example! I'd love to add to the examples included with the
library, but unfortunately paid work takes priority.

> - does not use boost threads

asio does not use boost threads for any internally created threads, and
includes its own thread wrapper class, because my customers required a
header-file-only library.

However, you are free (and I would encourage you) to use boost threads
to invoke the demuxer's run function from a thread, e.g. 

  asio::demuxer d;
  boost::thread th(boost::bind(&asio::demuxer::run, &d));
  ...
  th.join();

Furthermore, the Linux/UNIX implementation of asio does not create
*any* internal threads, so the only threads in your process would be
ones you create using boost (or whatever other method you prefer).

Cheers,
Chris