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diff --git a/more/background.html b/more/background.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..37f890db38 --- /dev/null +++ b/more/background.html @@ -0,0 +1,221 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<html> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us"> + <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 5.0"> + <meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document"> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> + <title> + Boost Background Information + </title> +<style type="text/css"> + body { + background-color: #FFFFFF; + } + p.c2 {font-style: italic; font-weight: bold} + span.c1 {color: #FFFFFF; font-family: Arial; font-size: 120%} +</style> + + </head> + <body> + <table summary="Navigational header" + border="1" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#007F7F"> + <tr> + <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> + <img src="../boost.png" alt="boost.png (6897 bytes)" width="277" + height="86"> + </td> + <td> + <a href="../index.htm"><span class="c1">Home</span></a> + + </td> + <td> + <a href="../libs/libraries.htm"><span class="c1">Libraries</span></a> + </td> + <td> + <a href="../people/people.htm"><span class="c1">People</span></a> + </td> + <td> + + <a href="../more/faq.htm"><span class="c1">FAQ</span></a> + </td> + <td> + <a href="../more/index.htm"><span class="c1">More</span></a> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <h1> + + Boost Background Information + </h1> + <h2> + Why should an organization use Boost? + </h2> + <p> + In a word, <i><b>Productivity</b></i>. Use of high-quality libraries like + Boost speeds initial development, results in fewer bugs, reduces + reinvention-of-the-wheel, and cuts long-term maintenance costs. And since + Boost libraries tend to become de facto or de jure standards, many + programmers are already familiar with them. + </p> + <p> + + Ten of the Boost libraries are included in the <a href= + "http://open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/library_technical_report.html">C++ + Standard Library's TR1</a>, and so are slated for later full + standardization. More Boost libraries are in the pipeline for <a href= + "http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2005/n1810.html">TR2</a>. + Using Boost libraries gives an organization a head-start in adopting new + technologies. + </p> + <p> + Many organization already use programs implemented with Boost, like Adobe + <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html">Acrobat + Reader 7.0</a>. + </p> + <h2> + Who else is using Boost? + </h2> + + <p> + See the <a href="../doc/html/who_s_using_boost_.html">Who's Using Boost + page</a> for a sampling. We don't know the exact numbers, but a release + gets around 100,000 downloads from SourceForge, and that is only one of + several distribution routes. + </p> + <h2> + What do others say about Boost? + </h2> + <p class="c2"> + "...one of the most highly regarded and expertly designed C++ library + projects in the world." + </p> + + <blockquote> + <p> + -- <a href="http://www.gotw.ca/">Herb Sutter</a> and <a href= + "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Alexandrescu">Andrei + Alexandrescu</a>, <a href= + "http://safari.awprofessional.com/?XmlId=0321113586">C++ Coding + Standards</a> + </p> + </blockquote> + + <p class="c2"> + "Item 55: Familiarize yourself with Boost." + </p> + <blockquote> + <p> + -- <a href="http://www.aristeia.com/">Scott Meyers</a>, <a href= + "http://www.awl.com/cseng/titles/0-321-33487-6/">Effective C++, 3rd + Ed.</a> + </p> + + </blockquote> + <p class="c2"> + "The obvious solution for most programmers is to use a library that + provides an elegant and efficient platform independent to needed services. + Examples are BOOST..." + </p> + <blockquote> + <p> + -- <a href="http://www.research.att.com/~bs/">Bjarne Stroustrup</a>, + <a href="http://www.research.att.com/~bs/abstraction.pdf">Abstraction, + libraries, and efficiency in C++</a> + + </p> + </blockquote> + <h2> + How do users get support? + </h2> + <p> + For relatively straightforward support needs, users rely on the <a href= + "mailing_lists.htm">mailing lists</a>. One of the advantages of Boost is + the responsiveness of other users and Boost developers. + </p> + <p> + + For more involved needs, <a href="links.htm#CommercialSupport">Commercial + Support</a> is available. + </p> + <h2> + What about license issues? + </h2> + <p> + Boost has its own <a href="license_info.html">license</a>, developed with + help from the Harvard Law School. The <a href= + "license_info.html">Boost license polices</a> encourage both commercial and + non-commercial use, and the Boost license is not related to the GPL or + other licenses - that are sometimes seen as business unfriendly. + </p> + + <h2> + What about other intellectual property issues? + </h2> + <p> + The Boost libraries tend to be new, fresh, and creative designs. They are + not copies, clones, or derivations of proprietary libraries. Boost has a + firm policy to respect the IP rights of others. The development of Boost + libraries is publicly documented via the mailing lists and version control + repository. The source code has been inspected by many, many knowledgeable + programmers. Each Boost file has a copyright notice and license + information. IP issues have been reviewed by the legal teams from some of + the corporations which use Boost, and in some cases these lawyers have been + kind enough to give Boost feedback on IP issues. There are no guarantees, + but those factors all tend to reduce IP risk. + </p> + <h2> + Why would anyone give away valuable software for free? + </h2> + <p> + + Businesses and other organizations often prefer to have code developed, + maintained, and improved in the open source community when it does not + contain technology specific to their application domain, because it allows + them to focus more development resources on their core business. + </p> + <p> + Individuals contribute for the technical challenge, to hone their technical + skills, for the sense of community, as part of their graduate school + programs, as a way around geographic isolation, to enhance their employment + opportunities, and as advertisements for their consulting services. There + are probably as many reasons as there are individuals. Some of the + apparently individual contributions come from employees of support + companies with contracts from businesses or other organizations who have an + interest in seeing that a library is well-maintained. + </p> + <h2> + Who pays Boost's expenses? + </h2> + <p> + Boost doesn't really have any expenses! All the infrastructure is + contributed by supporters, such as the <a href= + "http://www.osl.iu.edu/">Open Systems Lab</a> at Indiana University, + + <a href="http://sourceforge.net/index.php">SourceForge</a>, <a href= + "http://www.boost-consulting.com/">Boost Consulting</a>, <a href= + "http://www.meta-comm.com/">MetaCommunications</a>, and the individuals, + companies, and other organizations who run the regression tests. Borland, + HP, Intel, and Microsoft have contributed compilers. And hundreds, or even + thousands, of programmers contribute their time. That's what makes Boost + possible. + </p> + <hr> + <p> + Revised <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" s-type="EDITED" +s-format="%d %B, %Y" startspan -->07 July, 2005 +<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="21138" --> + </p> + + <p> + © Copyright Beman Dawes 2005. + </p> + <p> + Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See + accompanying file <a href="../LICENSE_1_0.txt">LICENSE_1_0.txt</a> or copy + at <a href= + "http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt">http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a>) + </p> + </body> + +</html> |