🚀 go-pugleaf

> ==========Steve Clamage, 2/4/96==========
 
> Eugene Lazutkin <eugene@int.com> writes:
> 
> >What is a current status of a *Subj* proposal? Is C++ Standard 
> >Committee going to accept them or not?  What was a problem?
> >How was it solved, if it was? 
 
> A proposal was received for adding hash tables to the STL part
> of the standard C++ library. Without addressing its technical
> merit, the C++ Committee decided it was not possible to deal with
> the proposal and still have any chance of meeting the schedule.
 
> The proposal (or perhaps a modified version) was resubmitted
> later. Again without considering the technical merit, the
> Committee noted that the time situation had not changed, and
> it was still not possible to consider the proposal.
 
> To elaborate on the problem of time, nearly two years after
> accepting the original STL proposal, details are still being
> tweaked. The hash table proposal is about half the size of
> the original STL proposal. Even if we had the resources to
> devote to analyzing it, we could not afford to add another
> year to the schedule.
 
> For every person who wants just one more vital feature added to
> the draft, someone else wants the standard to be declared
> finished and published. The Committee has decided not to add
> any more features, and to fix the remaining problems with
> what we already have.

Since I have been something of a pot sturrer on similar
issues, it may come as a surprise that I completely endorse
this stand as the only possible course for the committee.
The language has not fully grown up, particularly in STL-related
issues.  Yet it desparately needs to leave home and grow up
after it does.

Actually, much of my pot sturring has been pointed at getting
people to think about how to continue helping it grow out of
some a rather awkward adolescence in some areas without
a major schedule wait.  The process to make it a standard
is not really under control of the committee, rather they have
to live with most of it being imposed on them.  It may not fit
this case as well as some others, but processes are like that.
The key is to keep the process from stunting the growth during
a key time of growth (why do schedules have such an uncanny
ability to find such awkward points in development?).

So, how does growth continue in such a forced, imperfect
circumstance?  "It will not be in the standard" has to be
a premise of ANY answer.


Good Day
Dick
Dick.Menninger@DaytonOH.ATTGIS.COM
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