Re: [boost] Graph Algorithms

Thanks for the feedback! But what if I focus on C++14 then? Is that a good idea? On Fri, 22 Feb, 2019, 6:14 PM Vinnie Falco, wrote:

On Fri, Feb 22, 2019 at 12:49 AM Siddhartha Sen wrote:

...

From what I've read in the mailing lists, I think the demand has

shifted

...

from C++11 to more modern versions, like C++14 and C++17. Anyways, thanks for the tip. Will you be mentoring this year?

I will not be mentoring directly although I do offer advice on the mailing list.

People say they want C++14 and C++17 but I don't think its a good idea to require those language versions in a library, because most people are still on C++11. Have a look at the latest developer survey:

https://www.jetbrains.com/research/devecosystem-2018/cpp/

If a library requires C++17 then most C++ users will not be able to use it. And this is bad for the library, because fewer users means less testing, less feedback, less popularity, and in general this makes the library not as good.

In terms of the API (interface) of a library, C++17 does not offer much more than C++11 except for things like, avalability of string_view, variant. But Boost has these things already (e.g. boost::string_view, boost::variant) and they work in C++11. So there is really no benefit to C++17 other than some improvements in the way you can write the implementation. But that doesn't affect users directly.

In summary, by requiring C++17 most users will be unable to use the code, and there will be very little benefit to C++17 users.

Regards