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From: Phil Nash (phil.nash.lists_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-12-21 04:00:27


On 12/20/06, Christopher Kohlhoff <chris_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> > I'm not disagreeing. However, header-only libraries have their own
> > advantages, such as the ability for core classes to be templates. In a
> > separated model, given the support for external templates (effectively
> > none), all code must be fixed and flexibility provided by runtime
> > polymorphism. That has disadvantages.

If the raw networking code was wrapped in a very thin wrapper (that
really just isolated you from the <windows.h> stuff, perhaps using
untypedef'ed, but compatible types (e.g. unsigned long in place of
DWORD etc) to avoid mappings, then I don't see that the wrappers need
add much, if any, overhead. The real ASIO code could still be rife
with templates and compile-type polymorphism. I don't see that you'd
need that for the internal thin wrapper.
You could even go as far as to put the wrapper implementation in a
header file and have the option of using a lib that has already
included it in a translation unit, or include it yourself if you don't
want the lib dependancy (something I'd like to see in other boost
libs, for that matter).

Personally I would really like to see libraries like ASIO and Process
be free of windows.h dependancies in the user headers.

> Yep. Another potential disadvantage of a separated model is gratuitous
> copying or memory allocations resulting from mapping external to
> implementation types. For example, scatter-gather operations use WSABUF
> on windows -- if that type is to be completely hidden, then I need to
> copy the buffer pointers to a separate array first.

As I said above, the types need not be "completely hidden".
Another possibility (not sure how viable this is here, but I have done
this in other, simpler, cases) is to make the declarations you need
from windows.h/ winsock2.h yourself, so you don't even need to write
the #includes anywhere! Not sure if you can get around the problem of
the redefinitions if winsock.h is included first that way - but just a
thought.

Regards,

[)o
IhIL..


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