Re: [Boost-users] [serialization]

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-11-17 18:56:02

Paul Giaccone <paulg_at_[hidden]> writes:

> Robert Ramey wrote:
>
>>Let it be known that:
>>
>>For anyone with the hope that the serialization library can prevent you
>>from creating an erroneas archive - these are false hopes.
>>  
>>
>
> Right, so could you make this known in the documentation, along with
> dicussion of the cases when this can occur, in order to help users
> with use of the library and debugging of their code, please?

Suppose I write a File class.  Do I need to say explicitly that if you
write random bites into the middle of a File instance that the class
can't protect you from corrupting your filesystem?

That's the same sort of thing as passing uninitialized data when an
interface isn't documented as accepting raw storage; it's always
wrong.  No component that expects a reference to T should ever have to
document that the T must be initialized.  IMO, that would be silly.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com