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---
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title: Boost Background Information
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copyright: Beman Dawes 2005.
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revised:
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---
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Boost Background Information
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Boost Background Information
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============================
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Why should an organization use Boost?
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-------------------------------------
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In a word, *Productivity*. Use of high-quality
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libraries like Boost speeds initial development, results in
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fewer bugs, reduces reinvention-of-the-wheel, and cuts
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long-term maintenance costs. And since Boost libraries tend to
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become de facto or de jure standards, many programmers are
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already familiar with them.
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Ten of the Boost libraries are included in the [C++ Standard Library's TR1](http://open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/library_technical_report.html), and so are
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slated for later full standardization. More Boost libraries are
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in the pipeline for [TR2](http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2005/n1810.html). Using Boost libraries gives an
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organization a head-start in adopting new technologies.
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Many organization already use programs implemented with
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Boost, like Adobe [Acrobat Reader 7.0](http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html).
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Who else is using Boost?
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------------------------
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See the [Who's Using Boost
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page](/users/uses.html) for a sampling. We don't know the exact numbers, but a
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release gets around 100,000 downloads from SourceForge, and
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that is only one of several distribution routes.
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What do others say about Boost?
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-------------------------------
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>
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> "...one of the most highly regarded and expertly designed
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> C++ library projects in the world."
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>
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> — [Herb Sutter](http://www.gotw.ca/) and [Andrei Alexandrescu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Alexandrescu), [C++ Coding Standards](http://safari.awprofessional.com/?XmlId=0321113586)
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>
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>
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>
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>
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> "Item 55: Familiarize yourself with Boost."
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>
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> — [Scott Meyers](http://www.aristeia.com/), [Effective C++, 3rd Ed.](http://my.safaribooksonline.com/0321334876)
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>
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>
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>
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>
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> "The obvious solution for most programmers is to use a
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> library that provides an elegant and efficient platform
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> independent to needed services. Examples are BOOST..."
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>
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> — [Bjarne Stroustrup](http://www.research.att.com/~bs/), [Abstraction, libraries, and efficiency in
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> C++](http://www.research.att.com/~bs/abstraction.pdf)
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>
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>
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>
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How do users get support?
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-------------------------
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For relatively straightforward support needs, users rely on
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the [mailing lists](/community/groups.html). One of
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the advantages of Boost is the responsiveness of other users
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and Boost developers.
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What about license issues?
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--------------------------
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Boost has its own [license](license.html),
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developed with help from the Harvard Law School. The [Boost license polices](license.html) encourage both
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commercial and non-commercial use, and the Boost license is not
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related to the GPL or other licenses - that are sometimes seen
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as business unfriendly.
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What about other intellectual property issues?
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----------------------------------------------
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The Boost libraries tend to be new, fresh, and creative
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designs. They are not copies, clones, or derivations of
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proprietary libraries. Boost has a firm policy to respect the
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IP rights of others. The development of Boost libraries is
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publicly documented via the mailing lists and version control
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repository. The source code has been inspected by many, many
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knowledgeable programmers. Each Boost file has a copyright
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notice and license information. IP issues have been reviewed by
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the legal teams from some of the corporations which use Boost,
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and in some cases these lawyers have been kind enough to give
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Boost feedback on IP issues. There are no guarantees, but those
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factors all tend to reduce IP risk.
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Why would anyone give away valuable software for free?
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------------------------------------------------------
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Businesses and other organizations often prefer to have code
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developed, maintained, and improved in the open source
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community when it does not contain technology specific to their
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application domain, because it allows them to focus more
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development resources on their core business.
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Individuals contribute for the technical challenge, to hone
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their technical skills, for the sense of community, as part of
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their graduate school programs, as a way around geographic
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isolation, to enhance their employment opportunities, and as
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advertisements for their consulting services. There are
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probably as many reasons as there are individuals. Some of the
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apparently individual contributions come from employees of
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support companies with contracts from businesses or other
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organizations who have an interest in seeing that a library is
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well-maintained.
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Who pays Boost's expenses?
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--------------------------
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Boost doesn't really have any expenses! All the
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infrastructure is contributed by supporters, such as the
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[Open Systems
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Lab](http://www.osl.iu.edu/) at Indiana University, [SourceForge](http://sourceforge.net/),
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[Boost Consulting](http://www.boost-consulting.com/), [MetaCommunications](http://www.meta-comm.com/), and the individuals,
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companies, and other organizations who run the regression
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tests. Borland, HP, Intel, and Microsoft have contributed
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compilers. And hundreds, or even thousands, of programmers
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contribute their time. That's what makes Boost possible.
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