Assignment 5: Research Report

In this assignment, you will experiment with a nonstandard library of your choice that is based on or extends the C++ Standard Library. Choose a library from www.boost.org, download it, experiment with it, and write a short experience report on it. Explain what it does, why it's useful (or not), how hard it is to use, how it would help you in your work (or not). Include code samples. The report should be detailed enough to give a good idea on when it would be appropriate to use the library, what its advantages and disadvantages are, and to give readers an idea of what code written to use the library would look like. The report doesn't have to be fancy, just readable.

Go to http://www.boost.org/libs/libraries.htm to get started. Some possibilities include:

... or any of the other non-beta libraries. Don't forget to check the Compiler Status page at http://www.boost.org/status/compiler_status.html to check for known problems with your compiler.

If you have problems accessing the Boost web site, I can provide a zip file with the latest boost libraries. Most libraries consist only of header files and don't require any separate compilation step.

I'd prefer submission via email for the report if possible. I would like to distribute the reports to the class mailing list on the last day of instruction; please let me know in your report if I can share it with the rest of the class. (I will only share the reports which give permission.)

Have fun!