[geos-devel] RFC 9: Restore C++ API as public API

[Regina Obe]

I'm a developer and a package manager (inside Google and somewhat still around for fink on mac)...

 

I count on both the C and C++ APIs for many projects.  Projects needing ABI stability know they need to stick to C interfaces.

 

For those of us packagers that "live at head" (well mostly...), we know that ABI stability is out the window and it's up to us to manage things carefully.

 

I've been successfully doing C++ management with GEOS and GDAL for many years.  It seems reasonable for debian to only support C, but please don't rule out C++ for others.  For me, C++ APIs are radically better than C for large scale work (aka google) and I really really don't want more custom/external to the package C++ wrappers for C (with or without wrapping C++).

 

http://schwehr.org

[Regina Obe] 

 

I don't think we should discuss this any further until at least GEOS 3.8 is out.  As we said the C++ API may drastically change in GEOS, so if you are relying on it – you should be SEVERELY warned.  We have not taken away your ability to use it, so I'm not sure what all the fuss is about here.  We just want to discourage sharing it (via the unstable C++ API).  If you live on the head – you compile everything on the head so you can be as unstable as you want.  

 

We said the C++ API is unstable and we aren't willing to put in the effort to guarantee a stable C++ API at this point, so NO it is not a first class citizen.  Something you can't depend on is NOT a first class citizen.  Maybe in the future but NOT NOW.

 

If you want fancy C++ niceties go use Boost Geometry -  I hear their hipster C++ developers.

 

 

 

Thanks,

Regina

 

 

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