Re: [boost] New Boost.XInt Library, request preliminary review

Subject: Re: [boost] New Boost.XInt Library, request preliminary review
From: Chad Nelson (chad.thecomfychair_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-03-30 17:08:09

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On 03/30/2010 01:38 PM, Jeffrey Hellrung wrote:

>> That it acts like a pointer but isn't one. Less experienced developers
>> often find even pointer syntax hard to master, and unfortunately, they
>> are the majority of programmers. I was trying to make it as easy as
>> possible for anyone, no matter what their level of experience, to use.
> 
> I can't buy this, given that pointer syntax is so prevalent in C++
> (pointers, iterator, smart pointers). [...]

I wish I could avoid buying it. My previous company wrote tools for
developers, and I had to deal with a lot of customers who couldn't
program their way out of a wet paper bag. Including ones that used C++,
but probably shouldn't have.

> IMHO, any developer should be fine with a Boost.Optional return value
> (as long as you reference the documentation, and optionally provide a
> brief 2-sentence summary of Boost.Optional), and he/she might even
> appreciate the opportunity to learn the utility of another Boost
> library. 

Should, definitely. Would... well, we can hope. :-) That wouldn't
necessarily stop them from using C++, or Boost, though -- that's why I
wanted to make it as simple as possible.

> This would remove the necessity of this special NaN value, noticeably
> simplifying the interface, implementation, and reasoning of this
> library.
>
> Sorry to be such a bear; I'm only trying to improve things.

And I'm sorry if I seem to be a stubborn mule about it too. I'm not
trying to be, no matter how it might look. :-) I just need a strong
enough reason to change the design. I think Scott McMurray just provided
such a reason; please see my reply to him for my proposed solution.
- -- 
Chad Nelson
Oak Circle Software, Inc.
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