Re: [boost] Formal Review: Boost.Polygon starts today August 24, 2009

Subject: Re: [boost] Formal Review: Boost.Polygon starts today August 24, 2009
From: Simonson, Lucanus J (lucanus.j.simonson_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-08-28 16:43:51

Michael Fawcett wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 4:36 PM, Fernando
> Cacciola<fernando.cacciola_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>> Dear Developers,
>> 
>> The formal review of the Boost.Polygon library by Lucanus Simonson
>> starts today, August 24, 2009 and will finish September 2, 2009.
>> 
>> I really hope to see your vote and your participation in the
>> discussions on the Boost mailing lists!
> 
> Lucanus, can you provide rationale for why you chose to define
> redundant operators for the polygonal boolean operations?
> 
> http://svn.boost.org/svn/boost/sandbox/gtl/doc/gtl_polygon_set_concept.htm
> 
> Shows both operator| and operator+ as being the same thing - a boolean
> OR between two polygons.

My primary goal was to make an API that was intuitive.  In electrical engineering the + and * operators are used in boolean algebra.  I was trained as an electrical engineer.  My intention was that people could use the operators they are most comfortable with.
 
> If there is some precedent for this, I accept, but if there isn't, I
> would much rather prefer a single way of doing things.  I suggest
> dropping operator+ and operator*.  Their counterparts make much more
> sense to me.

Normally I prefer a single way of doing things too.  I made an exception in this case.  There are people for whome operator+ and operator* make more sense to (like me) and I figured I could make both groups happy with relatively little extra effort.  Also, as I mentioned, there is already some one of the library within Intel, so removing an interface is something I would prefer not to do unless there is a compelling reason.
 
> Hopefully I'll have a chance to look at this library more in depth in
> the next few days.

Great, I look forward to it.

Thanks,
Luke