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From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2019-11-08 02:47:47


On 11/7/19 6:23 PM, Glen Fernandes via Boost wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 9:09 PM Robert Ramey wrote:
>>
>> On 11/7/19 2:27 PM, Peter Dimov via Boost wrote:
>>> What is being proposed is a sanctioned mechanism for library maintainers
>>> to drop C++03 in an orderly manner. Any library maintainer who wishes to
>>> maintain C++03 support is free to do so.
>>
>> I don't see any difference between this and the current policy. As far
>> as I know no library developer has ever been required to provide support
>> for other than the current standard. Of course if I'm wrong about this,
>> then feel free to make this policy explicit. I don't see it changing
>> anything.
>
> It's different in this way: Some Boost authors and contributors do
> feel constrained even if the official policy is to support only the
> latest/current standard from breaking either an existing Boost library
> that depends on that library that supports C++03, or breaking some
> software that uses that Boost library which must be compiled in C++03.

Hmmm this is a big surprise to me. My understanding has been that
anything that would compile with C++03 would be compilable with all the
subsequent versions of C++. That is the guarantee of backward
compatibility. There has been talk about breaking this guarantee, but
as far as I know it is still guaranteed.

> For example, during a Boost beta release, reports might come in from
> users saying that X library no longer works for them because they need
> C++03 support. Or after a release, a Linux distribution package set
> fails to build, because they compile those programs in C++03 mode, and
> the Boost library stops compiling in C++03 mode.
>
> But while that might have been the case three - maybe even two - years
> ago, it isn't likely to be the case now. e.g. More compilers default
> standard mode is C++14 now, not C++03. i.e. Those of us who were
> worried about that outcome are less worried about it now.

Hmm - for example, the boost serialization library is C++03 compatible,
but it compiles with std=C++14 just fine - exactly as guaranteed by the
standard.

Soooooo - you can make whatever policy you want, but I don't see how it
would the maintainer of the serialization library in any way.

Robert Ramey

>
> Glen
>
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