Re: [boost] [string] proposal

Subject: Re: [boost] [string] proposal
From: Stewart, Robert (Robert.Stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-01-27 09:05:02

Dean Michael Berris wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 5:32 PM, Matus Chochlik
> <chochlik_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> > On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 4:49 AM, Dean Michael Berris
> > <mikhailberis_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>
> >> I don't think I was questioning why UTF-8 specifically. I was
> >> questioning why there had to be a "default is UTF-8" when
> >> really it's just a sequence of bytes whether UTF-8, MPEG,
> >> Base64, MIME, etc.
> >
> > Last time I checked, JPEG, MPEG, Base64, ASN1, etc., etc., were not
> > *text* encodings. And I believe that handling text is what the whole
> > discussion is ultimately about.
>
> But why do you need to separate text encoding from encoding in
> general?

Names are important.  I think this discussion would make more progress if Dean's "string" were given another name, like "bytes," and his "view" were named "string" or perhaps "string_view."

> You have a sequence of bytes (in a string).

That would be a sequence of bytes in a bytes<char>, say.

> You want to interpret that sequence of bytes in a given
> encoding (with a view).

You'd interpret the bytes<char> with a string<utf_8>, say.

> > Again, where you see a string primarily as a class for handling
> > raw data, that can be interpreted in hundreds of different ways
> > I see primarily string as a class for encoding human readable text.
>
> So what's the difference between a string for encoding human readable
> text and a string that handles raw data?

There is no difference, but because "string" connotes "human readable text" to most, using a different name for the raw storage class will dissociate that connotation from the raw storage.

HTH,

_____
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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