Toby Smith wrote:
I'm giving a talk about getting started with Boost (https://www.cmpevents.com/SDw6/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=271893 https://www.cmpevents.com/SDw6/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=271893) and I thought it would be a good idea to solicit input from those who have recently gone through the process. What do you wish someone had explained to you? With what did you need hand-holding? Based on this feedback I expect to make some improvements to the Boost website, also. Any information you can give me will be much appreciated.
Personally, my biggest problem with getting started with boost was realizing that I should get started in the first place.
[snip]
In short, I think the main page, the page that should be grabbing the casual surfer's attention, should at least highlight some of the functionality the consumer can expect from boost (cross-platform serialization, anyone? How about containers done right, or a well-designed thread package?), instead of devoting real estate and reader attention to links to random unix distros.
I agree. I use Boost libraries as a matter of course in all my code, and think that all C++ programmers should do the same. What the site needs, in my view, on the front page is some sort of material selling Boost. Why was Boost set up in the first place? Because, in some areas, C++ is deficient, is difficult to use or expects too much of the programmer. Boost helps by providing what is useful but missing and takes a lot of the work out of C++ programming. Essentially, Boost needs to sell itself as something that no C++ programmer would want to be without. Think how the adman would write it: "C++ getting you down? Spending hours tracking down that memory leak? Then try Boost! It will change your life!" Well, maybe not, but something along these lines would certainly go a long way to showing why anyone should be using Boost. At the moment, the front page tells me is that the libraries are free, portable, peer-reviewed and work well with the C++ standard library, but that doesn't tell me why it is to anyone's advantage to use them. Paul