Here is my "workaround", which is ugly, but works until this is fixed #include <cmath> #include <cstdlib> #include <algorithm> #include <boost/numeric/ublas/detail/config.hpp> namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas { template<class T> struct type_traits; template<class T> struct scalar_traits; template<> struct scalar_traits<double> { typedef scalar_traits<double> self_type; typedef double value_type; typedef const double &const_reference; typedef double &reference; typedef double real_type; typedef real_type precision_type; // we do not know what type has more precision then the real_type static const unsigned plus_complexity = 1; static const unsigned multiplies_complexity = 1; static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE real_type real (const_reference t) { return t; } static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE real_type imag (const_reference /*t*/) { return 0; } static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE value_type conj (const_reference t) { return t; } static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE real_type type_abs (const_reference t) { // we'll find either std::abs or else another version via ADL: using namespace std; return abs (t); } static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE value_type type_sqrt (const_reference t) { using namespace std; // force a type conversion back to value_type for intgral types // we'll find either std::sqrt or else another version via ADL: return value_type (sqrt (t)); } static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE real_type norm_1 (const_reference t) { return self_type::type_abs (t); } static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE real_type norm_2 (const_reference t) { return self_type::type_abs (t); } static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE real_type norm_inf (const_reference t) { return self_type::type_abs (t); } static BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE bool equals (const_reference t1, const_reference t2) { static double const eps = std::sqrt(std::numeric_limits<double>::epsilon ()); return ((t1 - t2) < eps * (std::max)(((std::max)(std::abs(t1), std::abs(t2))), std::sqrt ((std::numeric_limits<double>::min)()))); } }; }}} #include <boost/numeric/ublas/vector.hpp> #include <boost/numeric/interval.hpp> namespace ublas = boost::numeric::ublas; void trigger_ublas_compile_error() { ublas::vector<double> boom = ublas::zero_vector<double>(5); }