Re: [boost] [general] What will string handling in C++ look like in the future [was Always treat ... ]

Subject: Re: [boost] [general] What will string handling in C++ look like in the future [was Always treat ... ]
From: Dave Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-01-19 16:04:06

At Wed, 19 Jan 2011 12:50:17 -0800 (PST),
Artyom wrote:
> 
> Most of existing projects and frameworks had decided 
> about 1 single and useful encoding:
> 
> - C++:
> 
>   + Qt UTF-16 using QString
>   + GtkMM UTF-8 using ustring
>   + MFC UTF-16 using CString /when compiled in "Unicode mode"
>   + ICU UTF-16 using UnicodeString
> 
> - C:
>   + Gtk UTF-8 string
> 
> - Java: UTF-16 String
> - C#: UTF-16 string
> - Vala: UTF-8 String/using "char *"
> 
> And so on...
> 
> If you take a look on All C++ frameworks they
> all have a way to convert their string to std::string
> and backwards.
> 
> C++ hadn't picked yet, but C++ has string
> and very good one. 

I guess whether std::string is a good design could be considered a
matter of opinion.

> And every existing project has an interface to it.
> 
> The problem we hadn't decided about its encoding.
> 
> Yes, we can't say to standard std::string is UTF-8
> but we can say other things.

Like what?

> As standard deprecated auto_ptr (which I think is crime but this
> is other story) it should deprecate all non-unicode
> aware uses of std::string and say default is UTF-8.

The standard can't deprecate usage patterns, just language (which
includes the standard library) features.

> Boost can and **should** decide - we use Unicode - and
> we use UTF-8 as all frameworks did.

Except for all the UTF-16 frameworks you cited above?

> Decide and cut it. 

Cut what?

> As Boost had decided not to use tabs in source code or use BSL for
> all its code base.

Those were easy to do without breaking code.

> This would do only good.
> 
> Sometimes it is bad to support every bad decision
> that was made.

No argument there.

> As many Boost Developers and Users enjoy the
> fact that Boost is in constant evolution so we
> can evolve and decide:
> 
>   On windows char */std::string etc is UTF-8
>   if you don't agree, don't use Boost.

Yes we can.  It would break code, I'm pretty sure.  I am not opposed
to breaking code when the benefits are worth it, but in this case I am
not yet convinced that there isn't an equally-good alternative that
doesn't break code.  We're still exploring those alternatives.

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