Re: [boost] [C++0x] Emulate C++0x char16_t, char32_t, std::u16string, and std::u32string

Subject: Re: [boost] [C++0x] Emulate C++0x char16_t, char32_t, std::u16string, and std::u32string
From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-07-21 10:58:53

On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 5:00 AM, Mathias Gaunard
<mathias.gaunard_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> On 21/07/2011 04:07, Beman Dawes wrote:
>
>> The idea is to do what is possible, allowing most non-conforming and
>> legacy compilers and libraries to get more mileage out of Unicode
>> encodings. It won't be perfect, and the typedef technique isn't
>> pretty, but it does seem to solve a problem real users are asking be
>> solved.
>
> What's wrong with defining boost::char32 as a typedef of char32_t if it is
> available and uint_least32_t otherwise?

Very little:-) It is a bit more conservative, more in line with how
boost usually handles such things, and what we are likely to do in the
end.

But consider this... The two most widely used compilers, GCC and VC++,
are already shipping with char16_t and char32_t in the global
namespace. GCC via actual keywords, VC++ via typedefs. So other
compilers are bound to soon follow. Thus it seems a bit of a detour
for boost to introduce boost::char16_t/boost::char32_t.

--Beman

--Beman