Boost Tools

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2024-03-01 23:50:27

For some time I've felt that our Boost tooling could be improved.  By 
boost tooling I mean things like b2, boost unit testing and integration 
testing, documentation generation, reports like dependencies, website, 
etc.  Currently we rely on certain privileged authors to develop these 
things then then upload them to the boost directories.  This has worked, 
but it could be better. We spend what seems to me an inordinate amount 
of time chasing down anomalies, researching errors, responding for 
requests for help, etc.

I think design, robustness, documentation could be improved.

I think that the the most natural way for us to do that would be to 
adopt the practices that we have used successfully for decades to 
develop superior quality libraries to the design and development of 
tooling.  That is:

a) Someone proposes a new tool or improvement in an existing one on this 
list.  His proposal includes a working though likely incomplete 
prototype, documentation, tests, demo etc.

b) This is subjected to the same formal review process that libraries are.

c) Subject to this review, the proposal is either rejected, accepted or 
accepted with conditions.

Of course this would only apply to new tools and updates of existing ones.

Robert Ramey