Subject: Re: [boost] [General] Always treat std::strings as UTF-8
From: Artyom (artyomtnk_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-01-18 08:35:17
> From: Alexander Lamaison <awl03_at_[hidden]>
> > Dave Abrahams wrote:
> >
> >> I think the reason to use separate types is to provide a type-safety
> >> barrier between your functions that operate on utf-8 and system or
> >> 3rd-party interfaces that don't or may not. In principle, that should
> >> force you to think about encoding and decoding at all the places where
> >> it may be needed, and should allow you to code naturally and with
> >> confidence where everybody is operating in utf8-land.
> >
> > Yes, in principle. It isn't terribly necessary if everybody is operating in
> > UTF-8 land though.
>
> Which is exactly why it's necessary: everybody _isn't_ operating in UTF-8
> land.
>
The problem is that you need to pic some encoding
and UTF-8 is the most universal and useful.
Otherwise you should:
1. Reinvent the string
2. Reinvent standard library to use new string
3. Reinvent 1001 other libraries to use the new
string.
It is just neither feasible no necessary.
Artyom