Re: [boost] [units] Pull request and RFC: information unit definitions for Boost.Units

Subject: Re: [boost] [units] Pull request and RFC: information unit definitions for Boost.Units
From: Marshall Clow (mclow.lists_at_[hidden])
Date: 2014-07-07 14:25:10

boost/libs/maintainers.txt has a list of libraries and maintainers

units                 Matthias Schabel <boost -at- schabel-family.org>,
Steven Watanabe <steven -at- providere-consulting.com>

On Sun, Jul 6, 2014 at 5:49 AM, Erik Erlandson <eje_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> I'd like to get this in, unless there's some objections.   Who curates the
> units library?
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > > Link to PR:  https://github.com/boostorg/units/pull/3
> > >
> > > Description:
> > > Adds unit definitions for standard units of information:  bit, byte,
> nat,
> > > hartley, shannon.  Defines a new unit system boost::units::information
> for
> > > convenient manipulation.  Also includes IEC binary prefixes:  kibi,
> mebi,
> > > gibi, tebi, pebi, exbi
> > >
> > > Example code:
> > >
> https://github.com/erikerlandson/units/blob/info_units/example/information.cpp
> > >
> > > Unit testing code:
> > >
> https://github.com/erikerlandson/units/blob/info_units/test/test_information_units.cpp
> >
> >
> >
> > In the interest of describing a use case, the reason I found myself
> wanting
> > this was that for my ongoing edit_distance() project, I want to allow a
> user
> > to specify a memory limit for the computation.  Boost.Units is a nice
> > vehicle for that, since it allows a user to:
> >
> > (a) specify a memory limit in whatever units and scale they choose, e.g.
>  (10
> > * si::mega * bytes) or (1 * si::giga * bytes), etc.
> > (b) be unambiguous that it is a quantity of memory, as opposed to some
> > generic numeric value.
> >
> > Contrast with typical solutions that say things like "supply an integer
> that
> > represents the memory limit, in megabytes"
> >
> > I also intend to support time limits on the computation, and so by the
> same
> > logic my plan is to allow the user to supply a time limit using a
> > Boost.Units time quantity, in any supported unit based on time_dimension.
> >
> > Obviously, units of information could support other kinds of use, e.g.
> > applying units to entropies, as in the example code.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
>
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