Re: [boost] [preprocessor] PR decision for Intel C++ 17 on up on Windows

Subject: Re: [boost] [preprocessor] PR decision for Intel C++ 17 on up on Windows
From: Andrey Semashev (andrey.semashev_at_[hidden])
Date: 2016-10-27 16:35:24

On Thu, Oct 27, 2016 at 11:11 PM, Edward Diener <eldiener_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> I need some guidance from Boost developers in general.
>
> A PR has been issued for Boost PP which only affects Intel C++ 17 on up in
> Windows. I can ascertain that only this compiler in Windows is affectd by
> the PR. Needless to say I do not test this personally because it costs a
> decent amount of money to buy a license. Intel does graciously offer free
> licenses for Intel C++ on Linux for Boost developers and I have used it to
> test the compiler under Linux. Also there are no regression tests for Intel
> C++ on Windows in the 'develop' or 'master' regression test matrices.
>
> While the person who issued the PR ascertains that it fixes problems for
> Boost libraries he uses with Intel C++ 17 on Windows the nature of the PR is
> drastic enough that it could easily break other libraries if the changes in
> the PR does not correspond to Intel C++ preprocessing in all cases. So my
> quandary is what to do about the PR.
>
> The PR is at
> https://github.com/boostorg/preprocessor/pull/9#issuecomment-256741882. It
> is another one of these cases, like clang targeting VC++, where a compiler
> implementation on Windows wants to emulate the non-standard VC++
> preprocessor but can't quite get it right ( as if emulating a broken
> preprocessor should ever be right ).
>
> Thoughts ? Ideas ? Suggestions ?

Assuming you don't mind adding more workarounds to the library and
thus complicating it, and you understand what the PR does, I think
it's pretty safe to trust the submitter and merge it. You will see if
it affects other compilers (the ones in the test matrix and listed as
the officially supported), and hopefully this will also fix the
compiler we don't test. If it doesn't (or if it breaks something on
the unsupported compiler), that's not such a big deal. You will likely
hear about it anyway.