Re: [boost] [General] Always treat std::strings as UTF-8

Subject: Re: [boost] [General] Always treat std::strings as UTF-8
From: Dave Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-01-18 09:12:22

At Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:35:17 -0800 (PST),
Artyom wrote:
> 
> > From: Alexander Lamaison <awl03_at_[hidden]>
> > > Dave Abrahams  wrote:
> > > 
> > >> I think the reason to use separate types is to  provide a type-safety
> > >> barrier between your functions that operate on  utf-8 and system or
> > >> 3rd-party interfaces that don't or may  not.  In principle, that should
> > >> force you to think about  encoding and decoding at all the places where
> > >> it may be needed, and  should allow you to code naturally and with
> > >> confidence where  everybody is operating in utf8-land.
> > > 
> > > Yes, in principle. It  isn't terribly necessary if everybody is operating in 
> 
> > > UTF-8 land  though. 
> > 
> > Which is exactly why it's necessary: everybody _isn't_ operating  in UTF-8
> > land.
> > 
> 
> The problem is that you need to pic some encoding
> and UTF-8 is the most universal and useful.

Why is that a problem?

> Otherwise you should:
> 
> 1. Reinvent the string

My idea is that you just wrap it.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
BoostPro Computing
http://www.boostpro.com