Re: [cpp-netlib-devel] library goals and roadmap

[Jose <jm...@gm...>]

Hi Dean,

I've copied your doc here so that comments can be provided inline and the
doc can be merged with the doc I sent a few minutes after you.
I will comment on your doc in a separate message

======================================================================================

C++ Networking Library
Goals and Scope


Objectives
----------

 o  Develop a high quality, portable, easy to use C++ networking library

 o  Enable users to easily extend the library

 o  Lower the barrier to entry for cross-platform network-aware C++
    applications


Goals
-----

 *  Implement a simple message implementation which can be used in
    network protocol-specific routines for inter-operability and
    to provide a generic interface to manipulating network-oriented
    messages.

 *  Implement easy to use protocol client libraries such as (but not
    limited to):

        -  HTTP 1.0/1.1
        -  (E)SMTP
        -  SNMP
        -  ICMP

 *  Implement an efficient easy to use URI class/parser.

 *  Implement a fully compliant cross-platform asynchronous DNS resolver
    either as a wrapper to external (C) libraries, or as hand-rolled
    implementation.

 *  Implement a MIME handler which builds message objects from either
    data retrieved from the network or other sources and create
    text/binary representations from existing message objects intended
    for transport over the network.


Scope
-----

 *  The library will provide a generic message class which is intended
    to be the common message type used by the protocol libraries.

 *  The library will only contain client implementations for the various
    supported protocols.

 *  The library will use only STL and Boost C++ library components,
    utilities, and libraries throughout the implementation.

 *  The library will strive to use C++ templates and template
    metaprogramming techniques in order to not require the building of
    external shared/static libraries. In other words, the library will be
    header-only and compliant with the C++ standard.


On 6/4/07, Jose <jm...@gm...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I would like to get a basic agreement on the goals and roadmap, so that we
> can choose where to contribute and avoid duplicating effort. Pls send me
> your comments so that
> we can get a more concrete document
>
> General library goals
> ===============
>
> - Performance (do not pay for what you don't use)
> I think this is a goal for many C++ libraries and it is specially
> important for  a c++ network library
>
> - Reusability of protocol classes
> Already discussed. Very important to the protocol designer
>
> - Protocol conformance
> I think this is key for the success of the library. There are many
> protocol implementations out there and what really hampers them is that they
> provide a partial implementation, which looks like a proof of concept but
> not a complete one. So, whatever protocols are choosen (client or/and server
> side), they should be fully implemented otherwise users will fork their own
> implementations (which is fine but contradicts the value of a library)
>
> Below is a basic list of protocols (which should be in order of priority).
> It has already been stated in the mailing list that the library goal is to
> provide reusable protocol development components and a few protocol
> implementations. Applications like web server or email server could be
> provided but it is not a goal to provide competitive application
> implementations.
>
> Protocol Roadmap
> ==============
>
> * HTTP 1.0 client
>     - URI parser
>     - request object
>     - reply parser
> * SMTP client
>     - pls send the list of key features
> * HTTP 1.1 client
>     - cookies
>     - gzip
>     - multipart mime
>     - easy interface to async DNS
> * HTTPS
> * ESMTP client
> * HTTP 1.0 server
> * HTTP 1.1 server
> * ESMTP server
>
> Example Applications
> ================
>
> Web server, email server, ...
>
>
> Pls send your comments
>
> regards
> jose
>