Re: [GD-Windows] Visual C++ .Net

[Rich <leg...@xm...>]

[stupid list, always redirecting my public response to a private email]

In article <3C4...@co...>,
    Kent Quirk <ken...@co...>  writes:

> You're obscuring the point. What I'm concerned about is that MS is
> deciding for the rest of the industry what features the standards SHOULD
> have included. The feature was added to the standard. Given that many
> features people wanted *weren't* added to the standard, I have a
> presumption that if it's in the standard, it's a target that compiler
> vendors should strive for. 

Have you ever been involved in any standards process?  The assumption
inherint in the above paragraph is that somehow the "most important"
or "best" features were picked for inclusion in the standard.
Standards bodies are more like legislatures with political factions
arguing to get their favorite pork included (or their most hated pork
removed).  This varies from standard to standard based on the
politically motivations of the participants.  Why, I've seen people
argue for weeks about whether tab stops should be 4 or 8 characters in
source code!  To think that just because its a standards body that its
going to be immune from such things is naive, IMO.

> I don't mind a vendor saying "we couldn't get that one in this time
> around, but we're working on it." I do mind them saying "you don't need
> that."

The obvious answer is to keep telling MS that you "need that".
Personally, I think you're reading -way- too much into the interview.
What I read out of the interview is that they are pursuing the
low-hanging fruit first before calling in the Hook and Ladder Truck to
get that one piece of fruit at the very top of the tree.  MS is
responding to requests for improvements/enhancements to the compiler.
The request I've heard most often is for improvements to the standard
library and the template support.  That is what they've stated that
they are working on providing in VC7.  That interview also mentions
that some things aren't going to be done in time for the product
launch, so there will be a service pack release later in the year to
address those items.

AFAIK, there aren't any compilers, free or otherwise, that implement
the export keyword.
--
Ask me about my upcoming book on Direct3D from Addison-Wesley!
  Direct3D Book <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/>
    Don't Support Spammers!  Boycott Fractal Painter 7!
     <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/spammers.html>