5 ms·

Header libraries are easier to add to your project because there are no build scripts to figure out or cross-compiling to do or whatever. A lot of Boost is head

by jgh 12y ago

Header libraries are easier to add to your project because there are no build scripts to figure out or cross-compiling to do or whatever. A lot of Boost is header-only, for example. GLM (OpenGL Mathematics), too, is header-only. OTOH if you end up modifying a header that's included in a whole bunch of places, woe unto you.

TheDong 12y ago
The reason Boost is headers only is you have to be a header to be generic. Implementations outside of headers have to friend / otherwise be not truly generic.
- jgh 12y ago
  Yes, good point. You're right about that.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- theyoungestgun 12y ago
  Assuming you mean friend in the standard cpp way, that's not exactly correct. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/495021/why-can-templates-only-be-implemented-in-the-header-file http://stackoverflow.com/questions/495021/why-can-templates-...