Jeff Garland
This is one reason that the serialization library has no such "comprehensive" header defined. The other reason is that it's not clear how much such a header might include - all possible archives? all stl serialization. etc. Finally, at least in the serialization library, the mere inclusion of a header can result in the instantiation of code which is never called - thereby adding to code bloat.
I think a few years ago I would have agreed with this, but I think the "size" issues just don't apply that much on modern machines.
In general, Jeff, I agree with you, but in this case I have to agree with Robert. Because of the way the serialization library is constructed, including another archive can really result in the generation of substantial code. It's not just "size" but actual size. -- Dave Abrahams Boost Consulting www.boost-consulting.com