Re: [boost] Boost Modularization: did we get it right?

Subject: Re: [boost] Boost Modularization: did we get it right?
From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2012-05-11 17:37:32

On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 3:25 PM, Mathias Gaunard
<mathias.gaunard_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> On 11/05/2012 01:55, Steven Watanabe wrote:
>
>> The algorithm now looks like:
>>
>> If symlinks are supported:
>>   Sym link the directory
>>   if there is a conflict, create
>>     a subdirectory and symlink all
>>     the members.
>> Else if hardlinks are supported:
>>   Hard-link all leaves
>> Else
>>   Copy all leaves
>
>
> You don't want to copy the leaves, but rather create a dummy file with a
> #include directive with the relative path to the original.

"Copy the leaves" if all else fails has the advantage of preserving
existing uses (like HTML links) that won't be followed with a dummy
forwarding #include. It may well be faster to use.

OTOH, I can imagine cases on a Boost developer's machine where the
developer would prefer dummy forwarding #includes. So perhaps exactly
what happens if all else fails should be an option. A bit hard to know
without some real-life experience.

--Beman