This is a lovely thread, and I am hopeful that it will remain on-topic. On Wed, Jul 10, 2024 at 7:48 AM David Sankel via Boost < boost@lists.boost.org> wrote:
For those who got involved in Boost within the last couple years, how did you hear about boost? What attracted you to it?
Interestingly, in 2001 when I wrote BearShare I tried out Boost.Asio as the underlying network stack. My C++ was average back then, and I was using Visual Studio 6. I got so flustered and turned off by the templates, the concepts, compile errors going for days, that I just gave up. This sadly left a bad taste in my mouth for Boost which carried on for several years. When I came to Ripple, it was already using Boost.Asio through "websocketpp." This websocket library was so frustrating for us that I explored writing a new websocket library using Boost.Asio. My C++ had gotten better and later I had access to more knowledgeable folks like Howard Hinnant and Peter Dimov who I learned quite a lot from. I got the idea to propose the library, renamed to Boost.Beast, which was subsequently accepted. I suppose the motivators for Boost for me are: 1. Boost can connect to the internet (unlike std). 2. Boost helps me target earlier versions of C++, expanding my potential audience. 3. The convenience and synergy from a release that is tested together and works together. For those who have been around for a while, what keeps you here? Why do you
stay engaged?
I love the experience of having users. Lasting happiness is only achieved in service to others; knowing that people out there benefit from my work, whether commercially or otherwise, brings me joy. Most C++ developers immediately recognize a great library when they use it, even if they themselves do not quite rise to the level of skill required to author one. A library is the equivalent of a work of art; I am happy to labor through all aspects of development such as perfecting an API, writing documentation, authoring tests, applying optimizations, creating benchmarks, promoting the library to encourage its use, and supporting its growing user community after it is published, as these skills are essential for being well-rounded and the producing the greatest good. Permissively licensed software is cheap. You write it once, at a fixed price (time). The potential gain is infinite, as the acquisition of each new user costs nothing. I stay engaged because of the emotional payoff at the end of a development cycle when users get their hands on my newly published stuff. Thanks