Re: [Boost-users] Spirit Porting

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Spirit Porting
From: Eric Niebler (eric_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-10-30 19:58:47

On 10/30/2010 12:40 PM, Bryce Lelbach wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Oct 2010 09:15:45 -0800
> "Robert Ramey" <ramey_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> 
>> I feel the developer's of spirit have let Bryce down. I'm hoping the spirit
>> developers can step up and follow through to realize the exceptions developed
>> for this package.

Robert, I think you're being a bit dramatic. In the course of routine
library maintenance it's pretty normal for compatibility with broken
compilers to be lost. It can be sometimes be fixed, but it's not always
worth the effort. If I made some change to BOOST_FOREACH that caused it
to stop working on VC6 and someone complained, I'd tell them to stick
with earlier releases.

So, how to proceed? Someone who cares for this platform submits patches
to the libraries involved: MPL, Proto, Fusion and Spirit2. Barring that,
the options are: leave in the Spirit1 code, or else leave them both in
and conditionally select the old or the new implementation.

But expecting Spirit2 (and 3 and 4...) to continue working on every dang
ol' broken compiler that Spirit1 ever worked on is unrealistic. (OK,
vacpp isn't old, but it *is* quite broken.)

That said, I *do* believe that if a new release breaks compatibility
with old releases, there should be release notes to that effect.

> Some time ago Bryce Lelbach wrote:
>>>  Can software that uses Spirit Classic be ported to Spirit 2.x and
>>>  retain the same level of compiler/platform compatibility without
>>>  significant refactoring of the fundamental structure of the Spirit
>>>  components of the software?
> 
> Ramey, Hartmut and Joel, I really would like it if we could not have drama. I'm
> honored that all three of you put such value in my work. I made this post,
> though, to start a discussion on the above question. No one has answered it
> yet :(

I will: no. Not until someone who cares about vacpp does the work to
make it so, and continues to do the work to keep it so.

-- 
Eric Niebler
BoostPro Computing
http://www.boostpro.com