Re: Potential project: Resolving boost::chrono conflicts with std::chrono

From: Glen Fernandes (glen.fernandes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2019-08-12 11:29:43

There is value in Boost.Chrono providing a chrono implementation (i.e.
not just aliasing std::chrono), to provide a library where future
enhancements to chrono could eventually make it into C++23, or beyond.
i.e. Similar to how we enhanced std::shared_ptr, std::make_shared,
std::allocate_shared past the C++11 versions, and these enhancements
made it into C++17 and C++20.

Other Boost libraries can switch today to use std::chrono instead of
boost::chrono (conditionally or unconditionally) if they want.

As always:
- It is, up to the maintainer of Boost.Chrono whether he wants to use
std::chrono internally, and make boost::chrono compatible with
std::chrono.
- It is up to the maintainers of other Boost libraries whether they
want to use std::chrono instead of boost::chrono

Both of these can be achieved independently, purely by convincing the
respective Boost maintainers. Maybe they can drop C++11 support and
only support std::chrono. Maybe they might want to use boost::chrono
in C++03 mode and std::chrono in C++11 mode.

The discussion on the Boost mailing list (each time it gets repeated,
for Boost.X library for which there is a C++ standard library
equivalent) while still interesting, probably still won't achieve
anything. i.e. No amount of discussion here is going to result in any
action to command any maintainer to do something.

Glen