[ros-users] ROS usability -> boost

Fri Feb 21 08:46:19 UTC 2014

Maybe it would also be good to keep boost includes out of external headers.
For example, many public headers currently include boost::thread headers,
at first glance mostly because data-structures contain boost::thread types
by value. A PIMPL pattern could probably get rid of most of those.

The advantage would be that by recompiling just a small set of "core"
packages, any system boost could be supported.

cheers,
Ingo

On Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 5:43 PM, Brian Gerkey <gerkey at osrfoundation.org>wrote:

> That's great feedback. We were just discussing this issue the other day
> and came to the conclusion that we should start new projects (e.g., ROS 2)
> using what's now in the standard, and only pull in boost if it becomes
> really necessary. The cost of this approach is that you need a reasonably
> modern compiler, but that seems like a good trafeoff to make.
>
> brian.
> On Feb 20, 2014 8:01 AM, <rdean at gdrs.com> wrote:
>
>> On the boost topic, I have been a boost fan for many years... until
>> having to support multiple versions.  Recently I changed all our core to
>> use C++0x equivalents which fixed the dependency issues, and surprisingly
>> compiles 30% faster.  (basically boost #include's a massive number of
>> headers, while gcc equivalents do not)
>>
>> This is an important point for moving forwards with ROS simplicity in
>> addition to API and tutorial type usability. Make use of what the compiler
>> provides while avoiding "tricks" in the language (some template solutions
>> out on the web are cool, but eat up compile time and complexity.
>> *cough*mpl*cough*). Even something as common as Boost has potentially nasty
>> dependency and code complexity issues. Maybe retrofitting roscpp is a poor
>> use of resources at this time, but moving forwards with new code or ROS2.0
>> it makes sense.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: ros-users-bounces at lists.ros.org [mailto:
>> ros-users-bounces at lists.ros.org] On Behalf Of kamicc olo
>> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 8:56 AM
>> To: User discussions
>> Subject: Re: [ros-users] ROS usability
>>
>> Been facing an issue with SSE and ARM for some time either. Not
>> mentioning libboost...
>>
>> On 2/20/14, Arkapravo Bhaumik <arkapravobhaumik at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Agree on the redundancy of packages (read xkcd zindabad) and the boost
>> > issues ! Have faced serious boost issues.
>> >
>> >
>> > On 20 February 2014 18:36, Michael Fritscher <
>> > michael.fritscher at telematik-zentrum.de> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hallo everybody,
>> >>
>> >> just my 2 cents:
>> >>
>> >> In my oppinion, the ROS core is fairly well documented and quite
>> >> useable
>> >> -
>> >> both for beginners and advanced users. The problem are in my oppinion
>> >> many of the packages. Most of the packages are more or less drivers
>> >> for robots or middleware things. But even e.g. on the usb camera side
>> >> there are at least 5 different drivers (see
>> >> http://www.iheartrobotics.com/
>> >> 2010/05/testing-ros-usb-camera-drivers.html and
>> >> http://pharos.ece.utexas.edu/wiki/index.php/How_to_Use_a_
>> >> Webcam_in_ROS_with_the_gscam_Package ) - why the heck we do need at
>> >> least
>> >> 5 drivers for a simple thing like capturing webcam pictures?! I know
>> >> that there are different requirements, but forking isn't always the
>> >> best solution...
>> >>
>> >> Additionally, many plugins aren't that usable. Are little example are
>> >> localization using 1 or 2 video cameras. viso2_ros doesn't need sse2,
>> >> which is a no-go for ARM-cpus which are getting more and more
>> >> popular.
>> >> PTAM is at least compiling, but it even fail to correctly display the
>> >> video image (both on arm and on a normal x64 laptop). Sometimes it
>> >> remembers me about https://xkcd.com/927/ ...
>> >>
>> >> Another problem is in my oppinion the library-hell problem. ROS
>> >> packages are tightly tied with specific library version (e.g.
>> >> libboost) which
>> >> (roughly) exists only on one specific distro-version. This makes it
>> >> almost inpossible to use binary versions of ros on another distros.
>> >> Perhaps this can be solved that the binary packages depend on e.g.
>> >> "libboost-1.42 | roslibboost-groovy" - so either the distro-version
>> >> or a ros-own version can be used.
>> >>
>> >> Best regards,
>> >> Michael Fritscher
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> ZfT - Zentrum für Telematik e.V.
>> >> Michael Fritscher
>> >> Allesgrundweg 12
>> >> 97218 Gerbrunn
>> >> Tel:  +49 (931) 3 29 29 54 - 21
>> >> Email: michael.fritscher at telematik-zentrum.de
>> >> Web: http://www.telematik-zentrum.de
>> >>
>> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> ros-users mailing list
>> >> ros-users at lists.ros.org
>> >> http://lists.ros.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-users
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > *Arkapravo Bhaumik*
>> >
>> >
>> > http://mobotica.blogspot.in/p/head.html
>> >
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-- 
Ingo Lütkebohle, Dr.-Ing.
Machine Learning and Robotics Lab, IPVS, Universität Stuttgart
http://www.ipvs.uni-stuttgart.de/abteilungen/mlr/abteilung/mitarbeiter/Ingo.Luetkebohle
+49-711-685-88350

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