After listening to many views, opinions, suggestions I've re-done boost::convert and would like it scheduled for a review. It is certainly nowhere as MPL and still not perfect. However, I believe it will be very useful to many developers (like me) not satisfied with lexical_cast and not (yet?) needing (or ready for) something like upcoming Spirit 2.0. Overall, after weighing all pros and cons, I am reasonably happy with the current interface and implementation. It does not implement all that have been discussed and suggested. It is most unlikely implemented the way some would like it to see. However, I had to make choices I felt comfortable with and I feel the current interface is minimal, readable and allows for further growth. With that review-request I would like to avoid opening up another round of discussions if 'from' was a good, bad, mediocre choice. I feel we've exhausted that topic and I would like people to simply vote if they find the functionality needed. I am most certainly prepared to eat my humble pie if the vote is 'no'. Still, I am very much looking forward to any implementation-related suggestions/corrections or new ideas we have not discussed so far. The current interface can be summed up as with as little as int i = convert<int>::from(str); // Throws on failure int i = convert<int>::from(str, -1); // Returns -1 on failure More details can be found in the accompanying document (just remember I am not Shakespeare). If/when we decide to extend that by incorporating, say, Boost.Parameter and/or Spirit, then it might be as int i = convert<int>::from(str)(radix_ = 10, more_parm_ = ...); int i = convert<int>::from(str)(some Spirit related stuff); I am prepared to look into it further... if this initial proposal is accepted... otherwise, it'll be less work for me. :-) Thank you everyone who participated in the lexical_cast/convert discussions. Your views, opinions, suggestions were very helpful and educating and are very much appreciated. I hope I did not forget anyone in the "acknowledgements" list. The file called boost-string-convert.zip can be found in the Vault at http://www.boostpro.com/vault/. Thanks, Vladimir.