Re: [boost] Quality assurance (was Re: [tools][bcp] using boost internally in other libraries)

From: Richard Jennings (richard.jennings_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-09-28 04:51:52

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 17:58:51 +0100, Douglas Gregor <doug.gregor_at_[hidden]>  
wrote:

> Review manages are long-time, established members of the Boost
> community and are almost exclusively authors of existing Boost
> libraries. They are implicitly trusted by the Boost community to make
> sound decisions.
>
>> Ultimately it seems that the quality of Boost rests on the
>> experience of its
>> library authors and reviewers, so how does an observer assess that?
>
> Given that all library authors and reviewers are volunteers, I'm not
> sure how we can assess them as a group.
>

Thanks for the clarification on Review Managers.

Where I am coming from is that if you are following an ISO9001-style
quality system then you (I) need to assess off the shelf (OTS) software
before using it.  This includes commercial, shrink-wrapped and open
source software.  To do this you would assess the company/organisation
producing the software as well as the softare.  In a commercial company
you might expect there to be training records that show that a person
is suitably trained and experienced to do their job (you can debate
whether training records actually show this or not).

I guess the ideal would be if the biographies of Boost People included
more about technical experience and contribution to Boost (given that
this is one of your criteria for being a Review Manager).  I accept
that people may not want to provide this information.

How about a citations page that lists glowing references to Boost?
The Who's Using Boost page also backs up the wide use and acceptance
of Boost.

I hope it's clear that I'm _not_ questioning the quality of Boost.  I
am just musing how I would prove to a Food and Drug Administration
Inspector that Boost is indeed "...one of the most highly regarded
and expertly designed C++ library projects in the world".

Richard