[boost] Boost is supposed to serve *the entire C++ community; it isn't Boost's goal to serve Boost's community* (was: Re: Reque

Subject: [boost] Boost is supposed to serve *the entire C++ community; it isn't Boost's goal to serve Boost's community* (was: Re: Reque
From: Niall Douglas (s_sourceforge_at_[hidden])
Date: 2016-05-17 10:24:24

On 16 May 2016 at 16:32, Michał Dominiak wrote:

> A final note, again kind of repeating what Dave said (because I 
think
> it's extremely important and we tend to forget it these days): 
Boost is
> supposed to serve *the entire C++ community; it isn't Boost's goal 
to
> serve Boost's community*.

I wanted to repost tagging the Subject field to emphasise this exact 
sentiment which might have been missed (by Dave I assume you mean 
Dave Abrahams, it sounds like him anyway). I'd personally consider 
this paragraph the most important thing in your post and it sums up 
my personal position *exactly*.

The usual response is anyone proposing disruptive change to Boost is 
"somebody has to lead this out" or "Boost is community led" i.e. 
build consensus first. Both those responses do not allow for the 
highly disruptive clean fork of Boost necessary to return Boost to 
serving C++ at large, rather than the never ending Boost navel gazing 
it has become. Such a move can only be generated by non-passive 
leadership, and Boost doesn't have active leadership.

But I'll freely admit I have given up on trying to make any 
substantial changes to Boost. I prototyped as I said I would a 
Boost-lite transition layer suitable for a clean Boost fork which I'm 
using in all my own code. Nobody was interested. The community 
*likes* things just the way they are: serving the Boost community, 
and to hell with the entire C++ community. A shame, and a waste, and 
I suspect in the long term self defeating.

Niall

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