On Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 11:56 PM, Stephan T. Lavavej <stl@exchange.microsoft.com> wrote:
[Max Sobolev]
free functions are preferable due to decreasing code coupling:
Actually, make_shared<T>() needs access to shared_ptr's guts, at least if the implementer takes advantage of the obvious and highly desirable optimization. They are tightly coupled to begin with.
However, the coupling between make_shared and shared_ptr is an implementation detail. They may or may not be coupled. For example make_shared and shared_ptr might be coupled with another internal type that facilitates the "highly desirable optimization", but not with each other. In general, a member function is always coupled with a type, whereas a free function may or may not be coupled with one or more types (formally by specifying it as a "friend"). Using free functions, you can choose to pay the price in terms of physical coupling to implement a desirable optimization, or you can choose a suboptimal (in run-time terms) but less coupled design; and that choice does not affect the user interface. Emil Dotchevski Reverge Studios, Inc. http://www.revergestudios.com/reblog/index.php?n=ReCode