std.container and classes

[Andrei Alexandrescu]

On 12/21/11 1:07 AM, foobar wrote:
> The containers should allow for (disregard the specifics of the syntax):
>
> Container a = new(SharedMemAllocator) LinkedList();
> Container b = new(MallocAllocator) LinkedList();
> Container c = new(GC) LinkedList();
>
> When adding an item to the above containers the relevant allocator will
> enact its policy about intermixing with other allocators - by default
> the item will be copied if it comes from a separate allocator. I don't
> see anything here that forces the use of structs instead of classes.

(Please don't overquote. It took me a million years to scroll all the 
way down on my phone. Thanks.)

This is an alluring proposition but it's a lot more difficult than one 
might think. The problem is the entire container design is different if 
e.g. using refcounting vs. classic garbage collection.

You may want to try designing a simple container and isolate all 
memory/lifetime-specific issues into an allocator. See what allocator 
interface you come up with. I was unable to solve this problem, but it's 
possible it has a solution.


Andrei