Re: libsigc++2 in gtkmm-2.4? (was: Re: [gtkmm] ANNOUNCE: glibmm 2 .3.0)

[Chris Vine <chris cvine freeserve co uk>]

On Wednesday 15 October 2003 8:18 am, Murray Cumming Comneon com wrote:
> From: martin-ml hippogriff de [mailto:martin-ml hippogriff de]
> > Well first of all sorry for answering this late.
> > As to changing back to "SigC::Slot" in libsigc++2 I must say
> > that I would really prefer a compatibility header:
>
> Yes, that would be OK if it can be done. We would have
> #ifndef LIBSIGC_DISABLE_DEPRECATED
> Around the API.

Changing the API by going from initial upper case letters for namespace names 
to lower case letters seems to me to be a self-indulgence which should be 
resisted (but I have no expectation that my view will have any effect, given 
previous exchanges of view on other API breakage issues).

However, if initial capitals for namespaces causes aesthetic problems for the 
maintainer why not just use a namespace alias, so allowing either to be used 
without having to mess around with configure time definitions:

namespace sigc = SigC;

in the relevant header files.

Of course this will not work if it is also proposed to change all type names 
forming part of the public interface to initial lower capitals, but that 
could be dealt with by using the equivalent typedefs and thus avoid breaking 
code.

But then, why not go the full distance and do the same for gtkmm, so really 
impressing users about the aesthetic purity of the type names employed?

Chris.