[geos-devel] 3.2.0 Final

[Barend Gehrels]

> The C Api wraps a small portion of the C++ API.
> The thing is that in C++ there are *a lot* of interfaces
> exposed which should not be.
>
> You might have noticed that many of the headers were not
> installed up to 3.1.x. This was an attempt to reduce the
> set of exposed interface.
>
> Remember that GEOS is a direct port of JTS, where (in Java)
> there are visibility levels that are not supported in C++
> (default visibility == only classes in same package can use
> those interfaces). In GEOS those all became public instead.
>   
Thanks, this explanation is much more clear than the "prefer troubles" 
statement. I think Frank's suggested wording is perfect.

On the friend discussion: you can probably put those not-to-be-exposed 
interfaces in a namespace like "detail", or "impl", or "not_exposed". 
That will prevent normal C++ programmers from using it, without the 
drawbacks of friends. The interfaces are technically not hidden then, 
but it is clear they are not recommended.

Regards, Barend