on Tue Mar 11 2008, "Paul Baxter" <pauljbaxter-AT-hotmail.com> wrote:
What is the status of the Boost.Property_tree library? I notice it is now in the SVN trunk. Does this mean it will be part of the next release?
<https://svn.boost.org/svn/boost/trunk/boost/property_tree/>
I really like the simplicity of this library but this is about the third or fourth request in the last few months without a reply.
This is not a slight on the original author or this library, but it does bring up the more general question..
Does boost really want to put an 'unsupported' new library into a release?
No.
I'd suggest the release manager consider leaving such libraries in the sandbox if they haven't got a commitment from an individual and they haven't yet been incorporated in a release.
Agreed. In the past we've always assumed that the library author is prepared to support it. Usually that's been a safe assumption, but not always.
A first release is likely to shake down a library more than the review process and it is at this point the author or perhaps a maintainer is valuable. Indeed many libraries change radically enough after the review that they often benefit tremendously from the shakedown that first release gives them.
Perhaps new libs need a named sponsor as an entry criterion for incorporation?
In fact, I don't think we should bother accepting review requests without a commitment from someone to support the code should it be accepted. Naming a responsible support party should be part of the review request requirements. -- Dave Abrahams Boost Consulting http://boost-consulting.com