Re: [boost] [serialization docs] Ping?

From: Simon Buchan (simon_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-09-23 00:46:49

Jonathan Turkanis wrote:
> Robert Ramey wrote:
> 
>>Very interesting.
>>
>>First I'm surprised that anyone else was even looking at that thread
>>after all this time.
>>
>>Its clear that there is a strong parallel here - maybe even a
>>one-to-one correspondence.
>>
>>I've concluded that the concept of Semantic really isn't formal. Its a
>>narrative description of
>>what someone expects an expression to do.
> 
> 
> Right. Coming from mathematical logic it's clear to me that usual concept
> definitions aren't really formal. I'd call them 'semi-formal'. If you wanted to
> write a truly formal specification, you'd first have to describe an abstract
> machine to represent C++ programs and their execution environments, because the
> C++ standard isn't really formal, either.
> 
> --
> Jonathan Turkanis
> www.kangaroologic.com
> _______________________________________________
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> 
Interesting: an 'abstract machine' representing the compiler is almost 
exactly the informal description used by version of the standard I saw 
(in the "as if" rule) for itself: basicly the standard is a 
human-readable (barely) compiler. The problem I have with the standard 
is that it's bloody hard to read, even when it doesn't actually increase 
accuracy. (Without a copy with me, I don't have a reference, sorry. It 
doesn't help that I would have to get it delivered from overseas to get 
it :-)