Re: [Boost-users] The Boost Community

From: Jeremy Siek (jsiek_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-05-03 14:12:44

One of the coolest things about the PHP user community is
how users can contribute notes to the documentation of
the PHP libraries. It would be really cool if Boost
had something along the same lines.

Cheers,
Jeremy

On May 3, 2005, at 11:41 AM, Fernando Cacciola wrote:
> Hello people,
>
> In 1998, Bemans Dawes wrote the "Proposal for a C++ Library Repository 
> Web
> Site" (you can find the paper in (www.boost.org/more/index.htm), which
> lunched the Boost we all know and love today.
> The focus of the site was and is the production of high-quality
> peer-reviewed C++ libraries.
> Over the years, Boost grew as a community of experienced C++ 
> developers with
> the will and means to share their expertise and work contributing to 
> the
> highly respected Boost Libraries. Today, Boost is a somewhat 
> recongisable
> part of the C++ programming community at large.
>
> Today, the way I see it, Boost as a community encompases only the boost
> developers, which are just a fraction of the larger C++ crowd. There 
> are
> certainly Boost users, but I don't think we can say both developers and
> users form a community. I think is worth and in-the-spirit to reach 
> out for
> ALL C++ programmers of ALL LEVELS around an "extended" Boost Community 
> whose
> main sharing point is not just the submission of high-quality 
> libraries but
> also the efficient and effective use of the language.
>
> A Boost Community site would focus not directly in the Libraries 
> produced by
> Boost but on C++ itself as the great language we all love and on 
> fostering
> proper use of it (which includes mixing it with other languages when
> appropiate).
> It would be volunteer-driven, just like the Boost libraries are, so 
> the site
> would be moderated but open for external edition (I think a wiki would
> work).
> I envision it having home page links to the fundamental resources for 
> C++
> programmers (CUJ,ACCU, "the" books, etc), blogs from developers and 
> users
> (related to state of the art C++ and/or the boost libraties), 
> important C++
> related news (not just boost-library related news), reviews, etc...
> essentially, everything the will of volunteers can bring on to the
> community. The motto being "fostering proper use of C++".
> A minimum of moderation would be required but I assume not much.
>
> I know there are other programmer communities around (even C++ 
> focused). The
> reason I propose this here (around Boost) is becasue I think that a
> community centered around the Boost Libraries but reaching out could 
> stand
> out for its quality in the same way the Boost Libraries do.
> I also know that a newsgroup or mailing list is a form of community, 
> and we
> have c.l.cpp.m and c.s.cpp. But they lack the verstile structure and
> dynamism of the today's virtual communities. Also, somehow I believe 
> that
> centering a community around the Boost Libraries would spread their 
> quality
> into the rest of the site; to some degree at least.
>
> I welcome comments, ctricticism and I call interested people to put 
> forward
> concrete ideas.
>
> Best
>
> Fernando Cacciola
> SciSoft
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Boost-users mailing list
> Boost-users_at_[hidden]
> http://lists.boost.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/boost-users
>
_______________________________________________
Jeremy Siek <jsiek_at_[hidden]>
http://www.osl.iu.edu/~jsiek
Ph.D. Student, Indiana University Bloomington
C++ Booster (http://www.boost.org)
_______________________________________________