Re: [boost] [boost exception]complaint

From: Sebastian Redl (sebastian.redl_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-08-20 06:51:54

Robert Ramey wrote:
> In the course of investigating some issues with the serialization library
> I had occasion to investigate boost/throw exception.hpp .
>
> I understood the original purpose of this header was to provide
> support for throw for both compilers which implemented
> exceptions and those that didn't (e.g. some embedded systems
> environment).
>
> Looking through this header - it seems that its function has
> changed completely.  It now drags in a lot of machinery
> that no one who was using it before will need.  It seems
> that the whole purpose of the header has been changed. I did
> review the documentation for boost exception and indeed,
> it now seems that boost/throw_exception does implement
> a different purpose.
>
> Besides imposing the requirement for RTTI - I have no idea
> what else this might break.  Should all users of throw_exception
> be advised to recode?  Could we not restore the orginal
> boost/throw_exception and make a differently named file
> like boost/exception/???.hpp.  This would provide all the
> benefits of the new library to those who want and require
> them without requiring changes all over the rest of boost.
>   
As I understand it, the change of boost/throw_exception.hpp was proposed 
and discussed and finally - by apparent majority (as in, most people who 
spoke up were for it) - accepted before it was implemented.
Also, I believe there was talk that there would be a simple preprocessor 
macro to revert to the old behaviour.

Sebastian