Re: [Boost-users] serialization

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] serialization
From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-05-05 20:01:18

grahamo wrote:
> Hi,
> If I can provide a persuasive
> argument to migrating to boost, I can rid this project of a lot of
> issues.

This is very symple.
a) download the boost libraries needed
b) to each file, add a newline the end
c) At this point they are your files.  This is due the the pottery barn rule
"you break it you bought it" - which is in force at least for the 
serialization library.
d) Now tell your boss that, inspired by open source efforts, you've
made your own improved system which will be proprietary to
his company.
e) you'll be responsable for maintaining your own version
since it's yours but not boosts anymore.  But this is one heck
of a lot less work than maintaining your current code base.

Everyone should be happy with this.

>
> Here's the issues we currently face;
>
> A)
>
> The objects we persist are very much subject to change. New fields are
> added, moved around and deleted more or less as the wind blows. With
> each version of the application, various objects are persisted to
> disk in a file. This file *must* be compatible with the next version
> of the application. V1 objects and V2 objects are similar but not
> always identical (sometimes they are). Migration from V1 to V2 is
> done by massacring the the codebase with if/else statements.

The serialization library addresses this as part of its design.  However,
I have to confess that I've broken this a couple of times by accident
on binary archives.  I think I got it all fixed.  You might want to
convince your boss that using text archives will be more efficient
as they take less space.

Good Luck

Robert Ramey