Re: [boost] [unicode] Interest Check / Proof of Concept

Subject: Re: [boost] [unicode] Interest Check / Proof of Concept
From: Eric Niebler (eric_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-11-19 18:10:02

Zach Laine wrote:
>> Over the past few months, I've been tinkering with a Unicode string library.
>> It's still *far* from finished, but it's far enough along that the overall
>> structure is visible. I've seen a bunch of Unicode proposals for Boost come
>> and go, so hopefully this one will address the most common needs people
>> have.
> 
> I would love to see a Unicode support library added to Boost.
> However, I question the usefulness of another string class, or in this
> case another hierarchy of string classes.  Interoperability with
> std::string (and QString, and CString, and a thousand other
> API-specific string classes) is always thorny.  I'd much rather see an
> iterators- and algorithms-based approach
<snip>

Agree. Thanks Zach. I'm discouraged that every time the issue of a 
Unicode library comes up, the discussion immediately descends into a 
debate about how to design yet another string class. Such a high level 
wrapper *might* be useful (strong emphasis on "might"), but the core 
must be the Unicode algorithms, and the design for a Unicode library 
must start there.

-- 
Eric Niebler
BoostPro Computing
http://www.boostpro.com