undefined | Better HN

0 pointscmroanirgo6y ago0 comments

STL by it's very name is a library, and because it ships with a compiler, doesn't mean it's part of that compiler. It's just a library, like Boost. It might have some ISO standards behind it: great! But it's still a library and not intrinsic to the language itself (see my orig question).

eg. to use an 'int' you just declare one and use it. To use strings, you need to include <string.h>.

0 comments

gpderetta6y ago

STL (if we use this name as a arguably incorrect alias for the c++ standard library) is intrinsically linked with the language. A lot of its implementation requires primitives that are not part of the language (although often exposed as intrinsics as an extension). An implementation can and often does treat the names under namespace std specially and assumes invariants and behavior.

pjmlp6y ago

The S in STL stands for Standard, something that neither boost nor Abseil are, or will ever be.

kllrnohj6y ago

Being in the standard doesn't mean they are good or should be used.

java.util.Vector is standard as well but you'd be laughed out of a code review if you tried to use it anywhere. Similarly std::auto_ptr is in the standard, and is universally agreed to be trash to avoid like the plague. So much so it was (eventually) removed. The container section of the library has just sadly not had the same deprecation & removal of bad code put into it.

The claim was "STL containers are the sane default" not that "STL containers are more available". I stand by that claim being wrong. You have so far not actually attempted to counter it on any technical grounds, just bad appeal to authority fallacies.

pjmlp6y ago

Except that java.util.Vector is for backwards compatibility and everyone should use java.util.ArrayList instead.

Likewise std::auto_ptr got replaced by std::unique_ptr.

As you see the standard library keeps the knowledgable developers covered, no need to look elsewhere.

You are indeed wrong.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointscmroanirgo6y ago0 comments

eg. to use an 'int' you just declare one and use it. To use strings, you need to include <string.h>.

0 comments

gpderetta6y ago

pjmlp6y ago

The S in STL stands for Standard, something that neither boost nor Abseil are, or will ever be.

kllrnohj6y ago

Being in the standard doesn't mean they are good or should be used.

pjmlp6y ago

Except that java.util.Vector is for backwards compatibility and everyone should use java.util.ArrayList instead.

Likewise std::auto_ptr got replaced by std::unique_ptr.

As you see the standard library keeps the knowledgable developers covered, no need to look elsewhere.

You are indeed wrong.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse