Re: [boost] The future and present of Boost

Subject: Re: [boost] The future and present of Boost
From: Edward Diener (eldiener_at_[hidden])
Date: 2018-10-24 20:53:14

On 10/24/2018 2:12 PM, Deniz Bahadir via Boost wrote:
> 
> Am 24.10.18 um 18:43 schrieb Peter Dimov via Boost:
>> Mike Dev wrote:
>>> > We can switch to std::function unconditionally, but only if we drop 
>>> > C++03 (for some definition of C++03 because only the latest and 
>>> greatest > MSVC is ~fully C++11 compliant.)
>>>
>>> That's my point: I don't want boost libraries to invest any more 
>>> effort in maintaining c++03 support (I think I made that clear in the 
>>> last ml-thread about this 2-3 month ago).
>>
>> It's clear to all that everyone is held back by the inability to use 
>> C++11 things.
>>
>> But we can't just stop investing effort in C++03 maintenance. We have 
>> to officially drop C++03 at the Boost level, meaning, refuse to 
>> compile Boost with C++03 at all, or make it difficult, or at least 
>> make it choose an intelligent default that is never C++03.
>>
>> Otherwise it's easy for our (g++ 5 and clang) users to end up with 
>> Boost libraries compiled with C++03.
>>
> 
> 
> One thing I really do not understand is:
> 
> Why should people use the newest and latest Boost version when they are 
> stuck with an ancient compiler or code-base, which does not even support 
> C++11?
> Do they really need the newest libraries from Boost? (Most of them 
> require at least C++11 anyways.)
> 
> 
> Isn't it enough for them to stick to one Boost version that has all the 
> needed Boost libraries and worked for a long time and be happy?
> OK, if they want to have the latest (security-)bugfixes, then they 
> should get them as patches or as patch-releases of the same (old) version.
> 
> 
> My recommendation is therefore:
> 
> 1.
> Announce that e.g. Boost 1.70 will be the last release that guarantees 
> to compile with C++03 and that you will support it for some (longer) 
> time by providing patch-releases (1.70.1, 1.70.2...), only including 
> (security-related) bugfixes but no new features. (You need specific 
> git-branches for this and they will differ over time from develop/master 
> branch.

There is no such thing currently of a Boost release that is guaranteed 
to compile with C++03. It has been an impossibility once the first Boost 
library which needed C++11 on up was created. That was a long time ago.