Boost logo

Boost :

Subject: [boost] Filename length limit for Boost library
From: Edward Diener (eldiener_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-02-27 18:42:29


In the "Boost Library Requirements and Guidelines Page" in the
"Directory Structure and Filenames" topic, it says:

'The maximum length of directory and file names is 31 characters.'

and the rationale is:

'We had to draw the line somewhere, and so the limit imposed by a now
obsolete Apple file system was chosen years ago. It still seems a
reasonable limit to aid human comprehension.'

I do not think that there are any real OSs that impose such a limit
anymore and would like to see this limit lifted.

I have already hit this limit many times, especially in naming test
files for my sandbox libraries. I would rather create filenames which
described well what a file is about rather than have a 31 character
limit for a filename, which is not only highly arbitrary, but almost
certainly obsolete in this day and age.


Boost list run by bdawes at acm.org, gregod at cs.rpi.edu, cpdaniel at pacbell.net, john at johnmaddock.co.uk