[cfe-dev] [LLVMdev] New libc++ LLVM Subproject

[David Greene]

On Tuesday 11 May 2010 20:32:58 David Leimbach wrote:

> Just two throw 2 more motivators in...
> 
> Sometimes to re-implement after learning from work done before by others is
> a reason to try it in itself.  Also a lot of LLVM is C++ isn't it? 

Yes...

>  Wouldn't it be nice if it were 100% self hosting at some point?  (I think
>  so.)

Define self-hosting.  LLVM is already self-hosting in the sense that it 
compiles itself.

> Not having to depend on anyone else to make your stuff work is, well,
> liberating.

Yikes!  To me that is the scariest scenario I can imagine.

The best technical interview question I've ever been asked is, "what code
would you never write?"  Standard library functionality is at the top of my
list.  Why would anyone replace rigorously tested code with something
not as widely tested that one has to maintain oneself?

It reminds me of an interview lunch at which the developers constantly
regaled me with tales of their wonderful custom data structures library.
And then I asked about where they spend most of their time debugging.
Guess where?  Suffice to say, I didn't take that job.  :)

Again, I'm not dismissing libc++.  I'm making a general point about
reusing hardened code.  If libc++ is demonstrably better than other
solutions, I'll be the first on board.  But I do wonder why libstdc++ could
not be improved in the same way while retaining is enormous testing base.

And what about libstdc++ doesn't work for Apple applications?

                                           -Dave