Releasing storage of a vector

[Jorgen Grahn]

[Note that it's trivial for user code to do something like:
"if (...) v.shrink_to_fit()", to establish more refined behavior.]

In that case I'd prefer a method called unreserve(size_type) or
something -- if I have to do the work myself, I also want the full
control.

So when you release your standard, it'll be called that... :]

Naturally. It's coming soom -- I'm a committee of just one, so lead
times are short ;-)

....

As I mentioned elsewhere, this particular method seems to basically be
the committee's "OK, OK" response to complaints that performing this
often-wanted operation ("get rid of all the extra reserved space now
that I've finished filling in my vector") was clumsy in the old
standard.

My impression is that it wasn't really carefully thought out as a
general tool, just as a practical answer to those complaints. [...]

That is my impression, too[1]. And it doesn't bother me too much,
despite my whining upthread. std::vector was well designed when it
came ~20 years ago, and additions today are likely to be imperfect
patches for corner cases.

/Jorgen

[1] And there's probably a public proposal which contains the
rationale, in case someone is interested.