Boost

[Nick Baumbach]

Does anybody use Boost code, what is it.

I mean, it has to make things easier, but it does not looks like, since it
takes hours to compile.

 

[Öö Tiib]

Does anybody use Boost code, what is it.

Boost is collection of about hundred of quite fine open source C++
libraries. Majority of C++ developers have at least tried some of
those.

I mean, it has to make things easier, but it does not looks like, since it
takes hours to compile.

Most of boost libraries are header only; you just #include files to use
them in your program. If particular boost library makes things easier or
not depends on if your program needs to do what it does or not.

There are only about dozen of boost libraries that have compiled binary
parts and handful that have optional compiled binary parts. If you don't
even know what boost is and if you need those libraries for anything
then what is the point of compiling them? Also I'm pretty sure that you
can find built binaries from net like with any other open source.

 

[Alf P. Steinbach]

Does anybody use Boost code, what is it.

I mean, it has to make things easier, but it does not looks like, since it
takes hours to compile.

You can use the header-only sub-libraries without building Boost.

However, the most useful of them are now part of the standard, e.g.
shared_ptr.


Cheers & hth.,

- Alf

 

[Victor Bazarov]

Does anybody use Boost code, what is it.

I mean, it has to make things easier, but it does not looks like, since it
takes hours to compile.

Plenty of people use Boost code. It does make things easier. If you
don't like it, don't use it. There is very little value in complaining
about something for which you don't have any use, or on which you don't
have any intention to spend any of your precious time.

Here is an analogy: it takes significant time to earn money to buy a car
and to learn to drive one. But once you buy it and start using it, you
often find that it does make your life easier. It's called "investment".

If you think that a few hours of compilation is not worth the return
that you might get from using Boost after you have prepared it for your
use, then don't spend those few hours. Life's too short.

V

 

[Nick Baumbach]

You can use the header-only sub-libraries without building Boost.

However, the most useful of them are now part of the standard, e.g.
shared_ptr.

How do I know whether I need it.

 

[Nick Baumbach]

If you think that a few hours of compilation is not worth the return
that you might get from using Boost after you have prepared it for your
use, then don't spend those few hours. Life's too short.

Can't you read, how do one knows that Boosts code is needed. What can
Boost do, I can'd do simpler and ergo, faster.

More code added increase complexity, unnecessary.

 

[Victor Bazarov]

How do I know whether I need it.

I think the guiding principle here is "if you need to ask, you probably
have no use for it. Yet."

Here is the metaphor I think is applicable here. Can you dig a ditch
using your spade? Would an excavator help? Not really, if a ditch is
but a few feet long and a foot deep and the soil is loose and light.
You would only use an excavator if the amount of work warrants it. Of
course, if you already have an excavator on site, using it to move even
a bit of earth costs you almost nothing and can save some time, compared
to digging with a spade, even a mere few cubic feet of dirt.

Read about Boost, learn about the problems people solved using it. Some
here might tell you about it, but using Boost's online forum is probably
more effective. If you find that you can solve some problem with it,
then get it, invest some time learning it. Or don't.

V

 

[Nick Baumbach]

Read about Boost, learn about the problems people solved using it. Some
here might tell you about it, but using Boost's online forum is probably
more effective. If you find that you can solve some problem with it,
then get it, invest some time learning it. Or don't.

And now please answer the question. Only if you can, I did not asked for
noise.

 

[Victor Bazarov]

And now please answer the question. Only if you can, I did not asked for
noise.

Your original post did not contain any questions. It only contained a
childish whine about the perceived difficulty of compiling Boost. Learn
to ask questions. Visit this page:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

As Drew Lawson write here

[..]
We do not know what your projects are, so have no way of knowing
what you need.

consider telling us what it is you do, what problems you're trying to
solve, _before_ anyone could tell you to use some specific part of Boost
or to skip it altogether.

And now please ask your questions. Or don't.

V

 

[Jorgen Grahn]

Does anybody use Boost code, what is it.

I mean, it has to make things easier, but it does not looks like, since it
takes hours to compile.

I suspect that Stroustrup sums it up nicely:

http://www.stroustrup.com/bs_faq.html#boost

/Jorgen

 

[woodbrian77]

Does anybody use Boost code, what is it.

I use the Boost Intrusive library.

I mean, it has to make things easier, but it does not looks like, since it
takes hours to compile.

I think parts of Boost, like the containers, are great.
Other parts of Boost are not so great.

Brian
Ebenezer Enterprises - Heavenly code.
http://webEbenezer.net

 

[woodbrian77]

You can use the header-only sub-libraries without building Boost.


However, the most useful of them are now part of the standard, e.g.
shared_ptr.

I think std::array would be a better example. I still
don't find much need for shared_ptr.

Brian
Ebenezer Enterprises
http://webEbenezer.net

 

[Ian Collins]

I think std::array would be a better example. I still
don't find much need for shared_ptr.

Maybe you don't but others certainly do!

 

[Ian Collins]

For grins, I just did a "bootstrap" / ".\b2" of a freshly downloaded
Boost 1.55.0 on an eight year old 2.8GHz dual core Pentium 4 (a
Pentium D), rotating disk, 4GB, WinXP, and running some other stuff as
well (so both cores were maxing out at times). I'm not sure how much
more mediocre we can practically get.

Wall clock was 53 minutes. And that's long by a bit, since I was away
from the PC when the bootstrap finished, but from the look of the time
stamps, about two minutes, and as I mentioned, I was using the machine
for other things as well. So let's call it 50 minutes on that
machine.

Admittedly MSVC is usually a faster compiler than GCC...

On a more up to date machine with gcc:

time ./b2 -j 32

<stuff>

The Boost C++ Libraries were successfully built!

real 1m2.319s
user 27m57.961s
sys 1m49.214s

 

[woodbrian77]

Maybe you don't but others certainly do!

I think Mr. Stroustrup's comments on shared_ptr
are helpful.

At the 46 minutes and 43 second mark here:

http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Goi...eractive-Panel-The-Importance-of-Being-Native

He says he wouldn't list shared_ptr in his top ten
C++ 2011 features. I agree.

I think it's a good idea to review/minimize your use
of unique_ptr and to be even more wary of shared_ptr.

Brian
Ebenezer Enteprises - So far G-d has helped us.
http://webEbenezer.net

 

[Nick Baumbach]

Robert Wessel oratorically vehemently insists

And just what part (or all) of Boost is going to require hours of
compilation time? Sounds like a troll to me...

Sir, you do not contribute! YOU seemingly are the troll here.

Or, alternatively, are fucking stupid. In any case, stop infesting this
thread with nonsense and leave!

 

[Nick Baumbach]

Ian Collins oratorically vehemently insists

On a more up to date machine with gcc:

time ./b2 -j 32

<stuff>

The Boost C++ Libraries were successfully built!

real 1m2.319s user 27m57.961s sys 1m49.214s

Wow, -j 32 !! Say no more. Where did you find that 32 since at most I only
can find 16, as 2 threads per core. Actually thread core, not real core.
An i7 is still a 4 core, not sure how that threaded core is embedded into
the hardware.

Please elaborate

 

[Nick Baumbach]

Victor Bazarov wrote

Your original post did not contain any questions. It only contained a
childish whine about the perceived difficulty of compiling Boost. Learn
to ask questions. Visit this page:

Sir, you are violating the unwritten rules of usenet, insisting making
noise instead of relating to the issue in the post.

You are insignificant. Read the fucking subject line. Better yet, just
leave.

 

[Ian Collins]

Ian Collins oratorically vehemently insists


Wow, -j 32 !! Say no more. Where did you find that 32 since at most I only
can find 16, as 2 threads per core. Actually thread core, not real core.
An i7 is still a 4 core, not sure how that threaded core is embedded into
the hardware.

Please elaborate

Dual 8 core Xeon E5 and plenty of RAM.

 

[Herman Viracocha]

Anyway, it was no particular problem. We just told new people (or
people with new machines) to start it before leaving for the day.


(FWIW, I think the OP is yet another usenet performance artist.)

You agree with him that it takes hours then still call him "performance
artist".

What sort of performance artist are you?