Re: [Boost-users] [Serialization] Sometimes Fails Reading BinaryFile

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] [Serialization] Sometimes Fails Reading BinaryFile
From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-06-17 13:18:37

Steven Watanabe wrote:

>> a) If serialization code for some class is in a DLL and this
>> DLL is dynamically loaded/unloaded while some other archive
>> is open and being used by a separate thread, there could
>> be a problem.  This would be due to the fact that there is
>> global list of types which is updated when a DLL is loaded
>> and/or unloaded.
>>
>
> It's blowing up when trying to read the serialization header.
> I don't think this has anything to do with the type
> being serialized.
>
>> b) xml_iarchives depend upon spirit which is not guarenteed
>> thread-safe.  I looked at the spirit code and believe that I
>> selected that part which was thread-safe.  But at least one
>> user noted an issue with loading multiple xml_iarchives from
>> separate threads.
>>
>
> It's a binary archive.

I'm aware of these facts.  My real point is that the effort is
mis-directed.  It's much, much easier and cost-effective to
compose components independently proven to be correct
than it is to just patch together a bunch of stuff and try to
trace backward from the symptoms when it fails.  I'm
absolutely sure that the amount of effort required to
implement my suggestion would be far, far less than the
effort so far expended.  (I'm not even count your's and my
efforts in trying to respond to a post which says (paraphrasing)
"My binary serialization doesn't work, what could I be
doing wrong?"  The uttering of this sentence, reveals
the crus of the real problem which is one is going about
the task of creating correct software from exactly the
wrong end.

Robert Ramey