Re: [boost] Summer of Code 2006

From: Rene Rivera (grafik.list_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-04-21 18:36:26

Walter Landry wrote:
> Rene Rivera <grafik.list_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>> As I allude to in the intro to the boost.build section of the SoC wiki 
>> page, I personally think writing great libraries isn't just about 
>> writing the code for those libraries. The tools one uses, and the 
>> documentation one creates is much of the time more important. If just 
>> for the plain reason that having good tools allows one to concentrate 
>> more on the libraries. As a mentor for Computer Science students I would 
>> think that the development process is the key point of SoC. The 
>> resulting code is just an excuse to get students acclimated to working 
>> in Open Source development process. (Yes I'm intentionally framing this 
>> only within the SoC.)
> 
> You could use this rationale to have boost work on compilers, linkers,
> operating systems, and hardware. 

Yes I could. And don't think none of those are not of interest to me :-) 
And some number in the Boost community actively work on such things.

> There are other groups that
> concentrate on making good build tools. 

True, and we;ve thought about switching and/or collaborating with such 
groups. For example Scons.

> Boost does not exist because
> people wanted better build tools.

True, it exists to make better C++ libraries. But you can't have 
libraries without tools.

> If you are interested in build tools, then by all means join those
> other groups.  You can even use Boost as a testbed.  But I don't think
> it is good to have boosters work on it to the point where it distracts
> away from Boost's raison d'etre: making good C++ libraries.

Why do you think it distracts away from the libraries? If some of us 
have the time and inclination to make some of the tools Boost developers 
need better doesn't that benefit everyone? We get to work on things that 
interest us, and sometimes have our own needs for, and Boost and other 
developers get better tools.

Yes, I'm entirely open to using other groups efforts, and I am genuinely 
interested in the tool you pointed us to. If I could only get some 
reasonable documentation for it I could then evaluate it.

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