Re: [Boost-users] [Phoenix] review reminder

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] [Phoenix] review reminder
From: Klaus Backert (Klaus.Backert_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-09-29 21:46:20

Am 29.09.2008 um 22:35 schrieb Zeljko Vrba:

> On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 10:04:00PM +0200, Roland Bock wrote:
>>
>> Personally, I think, that the naming of libraries is not just a minor
>> issue. The name of a library not only helps potential users to  
>> find it.

It's just my experience, that it has been – and still is – more  
difficult – than it has to be – for me as a newcoming boost user to  
find out which libraries match the problems I have to solve.

>>
> Had you looked at the bottom of this page
>
> http://tinyurl.com/5xgx5f
>
> you would have seen that the library is dedicated to Joel's (passed  
> away)
> daughter Phoenix.

And your point is ...?

>
> Personally, I think that the naming is rather irrelevant when all  
> libraries
> are anyway listed on the boost main page:

Personally, I think that the naming is rather *relevant* when  
searching through such a lot of libraries, and when the descriptions  
on the main page are – well – not all very helpful (the written-by- 
people-who-already-know phenomenon?).

>
> http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_36_0
>
> together with a short description.
>
> And if we're going to start nitpicking, there's already a bunch of  
> very
> uninformative names (Any, Assign, Enable If, Function, GIL, Iostreams
> [like, what the hell, isn't this already in the standard library],  
> etc.)

Bad enough. No reason to proceed.

There are good examples, like array, smart_ptr, and lambda which are  
pertinent technical terms everybody in the business should know about  
(If there does not exist *one* technical term, or *one* metaphor, or  
*one* abbreviation, then break the library down into several parts).

Instead of "Phoenix" use "Functional Programming"! And why? Because  
the library description says "Phoenix enables Functional  
Programming ...", and the library introduction says: "The focus  
is ... on usefulness and practicality ...". If you want usefulness  
and practicality, then give it a name which is useful and practical!