Re: The future of concepts

[Ed Smith-Rowland <3dw4rd@verizon.net>]

James Dennett wrote:
> On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 3:01 AM, Piotr Wyderski<piotr.wyderski@gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> Concepts have recently been removed from the C++0x Standard Draft.
>> Will the concepts branch be discontinued?
>>     
>
> I hope not.  Concepts will be "finished" and re-added to C++, and it
> would be immensely helpful in that effort if there were a version of
> g++ with stronger Concepts support than ConceptGCC had.
>
> -- James
>
>   
We need a gcc branch for concepts.  One of the major complaints on 
concepts and one of the major contributors to its being dropped is that 
there is no implementation experience.  There was no implementation of 
sufficient quality and availability to give compiler developers 
confidence and point to wrinkles in the definition and users time to 
learn and play.  It will take a good couple of years to get one working.

That leaves open the question of whether the ConceptGCC branch is the 
one.  I just don't know.  Maybe someone should start over.  I think aim 
for simplicity.  That was another issue I think: 
http://www.open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG21/docs/papers/2009/n2906.pdf     
(Stroustrup)

Ed