"Thorsten Froehlich" <tho### [at] trfde> wrote in message
news:3aa55da0$1@news.povray.org...
> In article <3aa508f0@news.povray.org> , "Scott Hill"
> <sco### [at] ncgraphicsnet> wrote:
>
> I apologize in advance for my very clear words.  They are not personal.
> Please don't be offended.
>

    Don't worry - no offence taken. And like wise, please don't be offended
by my replies.

> >     So, why not use a cross-platform STL implementation ?
> >
> >     See : http://www.stlport.org
>
> You are missing the point.  The point is not having to _deal_ with the
> hassle of incompatible STLs.  Limiting to a specific implementation that
> works on a subset of compilers is by no means a solution to the problem.
> The goal is not writing a program using STL but writing a ray-tracer,
> thus we need tools that work _flawlessly_ not not those one first has to
> fight with for days to know their limitations.
>

    Well, I don't know the POV source code, but, my guess would be that it
uses various containers in all sorts of places and, even if it doesn't,
they're very usefull to patch writers. The STL implements a _standard_ set
of such containers - if you know the STL (and, IMPO[1], all C++ programmers
of any merit should know at least a little of the STL) you can develop code
for any project that uses the STL. Or to put that from another perspective,
if POV used STL any C++ programmer that knows the STL would avoid the
learning curve associated with learning POVs container implementation and
limitations.

< snipped list of compilers supported by the STL port>
> ...Some of them don't support templates (like gcc 2.7.2 or MrC 3.x or
> VC 4.x or Symantec C++, which has not been updated for more than four
> years at least on the Mac) in any way even close to any pre-standard.

    Yeah I thought a couple of them were a little suspect, but the web site
says it's been tested on these platforms and under these compilers and,
considering it's free, why would they lie ?

> The very fact that this STL had to be "ported" shows that it is a single
> big hack, no a usable piece of software.  Being able to compile code
> does not imply that it is fit for any purpose...
>

    It's only 'ported' because of the poor standards compliance at the
moment - it implements, as best it can for each platform, a standard set of
interfaces and it's really only the exotic stuff that may not work - program
to the standard (and avoid some of it more exotic features (shouldn't be
difficult)) and you can expect your code to work on any platform that
supports the STL.

> > basically the message was that, due to the inconsistency
> > in the various compiler providers STL implementations, one would not be
able
> > to use the STL within the POV 4.0 source code.
>
> No, you misunderstood.
>

    No I don't.

    If a platform does not support the STL then that's a problem for
compiler writers, not app developers - in any cross-platform project you
_have_ to make compromises and, sometimes, sacrifices to produce the optimum
solution. If, after analysis, that means the STL's out, then fine, but that
decision should be made after careful consideration of all the pros and
cons - that decision can not be made without the relevant information - I
was merely supplying that information.

>
> Last but not least, do not worry about this issue.

    Don't worry, I won't be losing any sleep over it.

> The team will find a
> working compromise, but as pointed out in previous posts about 4.0:
> There is no point discussing 4.0 features because nothing has been
> decided yet. Do don't spend your time on things that are not needed.

    Right, I really don't get this attitude - how is discussion bad ?
Without it the POV team can not get any perspective what-so-ever about what
the end users and other developers would like to see in POV - in the end the
POV team are going to make the final decision any way, so just what harm is
such discussion going to do ? IMPO[1], it can only help.

--
Scott Hill.
Software Engineer.
E-Mail        : sco### [at] innocentcom
Pandora's Box : http://www.pandora-software.com

*Everything in this message/post is purely IMHO and no-one-else's*

[1] - IMPO : In My Professional Opinion.

Post a reply to this message