Re: [boost] [swap] End-user allowed to add overloads to boost namespace?

From: David Walthall (walthall_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-07-30 17:15:09

Niels Dekker - mail address until 2008-12-31 wrote:
> Is any end-user allowed to add her own overloads of existing Boost
> functions to the boost namespace?

Niels,

It seems like users should not be allowed to add to the boost:: namespace.

Here is my reasoning: if users are allowed to add to the boost 
namespace, what happens when/if that library (to which the user is 
adding code) becomes part of the standard and is moved to std::?  Either 
the rule against adding to std:: would need to be relaxed or user code 
would break when the library becomes part of std::.

The only exception I can see is if it is a work-around for a compiler 
that isn't standards compliant since the compiler will (presumably) be 
updated and not need the work-around at the point that the library is 
added to the std:: namespace.  (I'm not sure if this boost::swap issue 
falls under this exception.)

Thanks,
David