Re: [boost] Towards a Warning free code policy proposal

Subject: Re: [boost] Towards a Warning free code policy proposal
From: Paul A. Bristow (pbristow_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-08-31 03:34:31

> -----Original Message-----
> From: boost-bounces_at_[hidden] [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]]
> On Behalf Of Dave Abrahams
> Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 5:46 AM
> To: boost_at_[hidden]
> Subject: Re: [boost] Towards a Warning free code policy proposal
> 
> On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 10:55 PM, Andrey Semashev
> <andrey.semashev_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> 
> > My point is that the warning-free requirement (at high levels) seems
> > quite specific and, to my mind, quite pointless. Additionally,
> > suppressing all warnings in all Boost headers is (a)
> > compiler-specific, (b) tedious and (c) may not be what the user
> > actually wants. Therefore let the users decide what and how to do about
> warnings.

I think this is really, really unhelpful.

And I think there is enough opinions and evidence that getting rid of
warnings makes the code better.

So many, perhaps most, people (if not all) believe getting 'warnings free'
remains a good objective.
 
> Here's my suggestion:
> 
> * We make no requirement on developers that they address warnings
We do this now.

> * We choose a warning level we're going to test at for each compiler
We do this now - but I'd like to see it at W all.

> * On our testing pages we publish the number of warnings for each test
along
> with the number of errors
We (someone) could do this, but it might be some work to get a warnings
count on all systems?
(We might more easily be able to get a count != 0).

(But I note that many warnings arise from libraries when they are used by
other libraries, for example Boost.Format and Fusion used by Boost.Math.
This makes warnings count much less useful) .

> * On our guidelines page we publish a list of safe ways to "avoid".
> various warnings (e.g. use implicit conversions) and perhaps less-safe
ways to
> "suppress" them (e.g. use a cast).

We already have quite a lot on this at
https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/wiki/Guidelines/WarningsGuidelines
(but more expert input/correction/improvement is very welcome.  You can edit
it, or I will handle the editorial bit if that is easier).

Paul
---
Paul A. Bristow,
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