Re: [boost] [Serialization] BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT regression on SunCC

Subject: Re: [boost] [Serialization] BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT regression on SunCC
From: Sohail Somani (sohail_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-02-17 13:34:31

Emil Dotchevski wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 9:43 AM, Sohail Somani <sohail_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>> Emil Dotchevski wrote:
>>> On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 7:27 AM, Sohail Somani <sohail_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>>>> Ok, that is a start. Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> Still, why intentionally restrict portability even further when the
>>>> alternative was not burdensome to begin with? I would have better luck
>>>> implementing a portable export (the previous version) rather than
>>>> figuring out hacks for each compiler.
>>>>
>>>> I think the export documentation should be modified to say (in big fat
>>>> bold letters) that it should not be used in portable code.
>>> I think it's better to deprecate BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT altogether.
>> If the new policy is to only support specific compilers for this
>> functionality, I would agree with that.
>>
>> Header ordering is a problem you can work around and still use the
>> library. Compiler-specific hacks, not really.
> 
> I think there is a misunderstanding here.
> 
> "Header ordering" doesn't mean that BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT would be
> portable. The compiler-specific hacks would be necessary no matter
> what. The BOOST_CLASS_EXPORT problem is that the C++ standard allows
> the compiler to strip away all of the instantiations it triggers, and
> good compilers do it. The "hacks" exploit holes in that functionality.

Hmm, yes you are right.

I guess the bottom line is that export/base_object is so fragile it is
not worth using any more. void_cast_register and register_type it is!

Thanks for your comments, it has helped me a lot.

-- 
Sohail Somani
http://uint32t.blogspot.com