Re: [Boost-users] Re: Iterators and maps [was Re: Whereshould STLsuggestionsgo?]

From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-12-15 21:28:11

At 11:20 AM 12/15/2004, Jim Lear wrote:

 >...  I still cling to the notion that something like
 >the container[iterator] concept should be included, and bad old-style
 >programming should be accomodated, as long as they're accompanied by
 >lots of footnotes explaining that using such concepts will make one's
 >code container-dependent.

Other's have had the same feeling; but eventually the light dawns and they 
realize that trying do dumb down the STL would result in something harder 
rather than easier to use.

 >  This would allow people to write useful
 >(albeit bad) STL code quickly, while warning signs point the way to
 >generic programming.

It turns out that the fastest way to write STL code is simply to learn to 
use the STL as specified in the standard or in the usual texts, and not try 
to somehow do it "better" or "easier".

Let me relate something I experienced myself and have also heard from 
probably a dozen programmers who had a similar experience when they first 
learned to use the STL. After working enough examples to at least be able 
to get simple STL code working, I decided to try to use a std::map and a 
std::vector in a real application. Told the client the app would be ready 
in two weeks. It was running the same afternoon. I never looked back.

HTH,

--Beman