[boost] The Lonely Song of the MPL Maintainer -- or Boost support for antediluvian compiler and the future supprot of C++11

Subject: [boost] The Lonely Song of the MPL Maintainer -- or Boost support for antediluvian compiler and the future supprot of C++11
From: Joel falcou (joel.falcou_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-08-13 12:18:57

This is meant to be a serious thread and not some trollfest about w/e 
compilers.

I am currently fixing bugs and applying feature request in MPL and it 
just happens I spend more time deciphering the web of compatibility 
#ifdefs than doing actual code. A rough guestimate tells me that on a 
100 lines MPL files, 80 of them are #ifdef for compatibility.

It could fine and dandy if those #ifdefs where not, for a majority, 
targeted at compiler i didnt even knew hwere standard conformant (ICC 5, 
really) or still in serious use (Borland whatever). Some other are more 
debatable (like MSVC 6 or such).

Considering such compilers are so broken that upgrading boost is out of 
question for these users and that C++11 and its new set of supporting 
compilers are around the corner, also taking into account my limited 
amount of sanity (IRC people can testify on this), can't we start some 
support clean up in this library ?

<radical>
Going further, shouldn't we start thinking at boost 2.0 which will 
definitevely let c++03 die its peaceful death and start, on a voluntary 
effort, move boost component toward C++11. I know we have a fully 
working Fusion for 0x only. mpl, proto and other strategic 
infrastructure libraries should benefit from that. Some are a trivial 
port like Boost.PP and all the TR1 boost library that will just either 
disappear or forward the C++11 version.
</radical>

Here is the status of the thingy. Letting Boost 2.0 aside, what should 
be the status of MPL and its sharazadian list of supported compiler ?