Re: [boost] Are warnings acceptable artifacts from builds?

Subject: Re: [boost] Are warnings acceptable artifacts from builds?
From: Stewart, Robert (Robert.Stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-09-11 16:35:42

Emil Dotchevski wrote:
>
> Sure, the question is who is to decide whether a particular warning
> should be disabled. I doubt that any library developer tolerates
> warnings in their code, except for the ones they've decided should be

Unfortunately, many developers tolerate warnings.

> disabled. However, the case of matching opinions isn't interesting,
> this discussion is about how to handle situations when the library
> developer thinks a particular warning should be disabled (or not
> enabled) and someone else thinks otherwise.

When did that become the discussion?  I obviously missed the transition.

> Obviously, if someone
> reports a warning and a library developer thinks there is a good way
> to fix the warning, it'll be fixed and that will be the end of it. The

This is a far cry from your earlier claim that someone complaining about a warning was being rude to you, the library developer.  Nevertheless, I'm glad to see we've reached consensus.

> interesting case, again, is when there is no "good" way, for some
> definition of "good".

Right.

> It really is a problem of standardization. You don't see people
> arguing about whether a compile error should be fixed, such matter is
> resolved by fixes, workarounds and bug reports because there's
> agreed-upon authority (the ANSI standard) which is presumed correct.
> But warnings are issued in cases when the ANSI standard prohibits
> issuing an error, and this makes it difficult to craft a general
> policy that would be reasonable for everyone.

Exactly.  Boost can determine a warning configuration for each supported compiler and can mandate the elimination of all warnings, with some possible exceptions that have no good solution.  Whether agreement is possible to establish such a position is quite a leap from here, I'd guess.

_____
Rob Stewart                           robert.stewart_at_[hidden]
Software Engineer, Core Software      using std::disclaimer;
Susquehanna International Group, LLP  http://www.sig.com

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