Re: [boost] What is Boost?

From: Daryle Walker (darylew_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-10-13 09:55:49

[Yes, I'm way behind on my reading.]

On 9/30/05 1:36 PM, "David Abrahams" <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> "Andy Little" <andy_at_[hidden]> writes:
> 
>> "David Abrahams"  wrote
>> 
[SNIP]
>>> * There are some dependencies among libraries, but they are not
>>>  tightly coupled.
>> 
>> Then why do you need to download the whole collection?
> 
> Because that's the way it is.
> 
>>> * There is a tool (bcp) for extracting the parts you want and their
>>>  dependencies.
>> 
>> Then why is it not available at the website?  You still have to download the
>> complete libraries.
> 
> Because that's the way it is.  Are these questions relevant to what
> should go in the What is Boost section, or are you just asking me?
[TRUNCATE]

"That's the way it is" is a useless tautological response.  Maybe a full
explanation would help Andy more.

For the first part, the Boost website used to host a separate ZIP file for
each library.  I guess that became impractical as dependencies among
libraries happened, especially for the libraries that are meant to be mainly
used as dependencies (e.g. Config or Utility).  Preparing the code to be
separate takes effort too, especially as libraries have gotten larger.
Check out Spirit for a modern example of a semi-separate collection.  (Does
Spirit use BCP?)

For the second part, the source for BCP is available.  It's in the same
directory as its documentation.  I think it's a bug that the docs don't
mention that.  A finished BCP tool would have to be compiled for each
platform, and would probably be in our SourceForge download area for
efficiency.  Anyway, I think BCP only works on local directories; and Andy
is asking for a version that downloads over the network.  That wouldn't be
practical because our SourceForge downloads aren't that refined (nor made
for automation).  We would have to create high-bandwidth mirror sites that
contain each file, individually, in the Boost archive.  (And what about
issues pertaining to which versions of library files you want: latest
release vs. CVS head vs. CVS branch.)

-- 
Daryle Walker
Mac, Internet, and Video Game Junkie
darylew AT hotmail DOT com