Hi Jeff! On Dec 10, 2007 10:32 AM, Jeff Garland <jeff@crystalclearsoftware.com> wrote:
Michael Dickey wrote:
So.. I decided to throw all this out there and see what people think. Should Boost have its own HTTP library, or should it be part of an more comprehensive network protocol library?
Yes, it should have an HTTP library -- it would be nice if there were other protocols, but not essential.
I have the same feeling, but then other protocols are becoming increasingly more and more important as the web matures -- XMPP is lurking to be the next generation IM/Messaging protocol, (E)SMTP is not going away for Email anytime soon, and FTP is still very popular. Maybe having a torrent client library might not be essential, though if there's enough interest then it may just be the next generation fail-safe P2P storage protocol -- or I might be dreaming too much. ;)
Would it be better have something available sooner in Boost that works and is reliable, and try to resolve the overlap over time as cpp-netlib matures? Or, would it be better to wait and try to merge my library (or at least it's functionality) into cpp-netlib?
I think we need a first protocol library to lay the groundwork. Reviews and interactions may lead to a set of standards for handling these sorts of libraries. If http lib is closer to ready then I'd say take it thru the process as that might influence the design of cpp-netlib. Of course, you can take into account what the netlib folks are doing as well. I'd hope that somehow we could avoid redoing the http work...
I agree. If Mike already has an HTTP client library we can retro-fit to work with the cpp-netlib basic_message<> implementation, then I think we don't have to re-invent the wheel as far as an HTTP client implementation goes -- and cpp-netlib 1.0 might just be around the corner once we document it properly and get it tested up to Boost standards. Looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts about this. Have a good day everyone! -- Dean Michael C. Berris Software Engineer, Friendster, Inc. [http://cplusplus-soup.blogspot.com/] [mikhailberis@gmail.com] [+63 928 7291459] [+1 408 4049523]