Re: Mostly Harmless: Welcoming our C++ friends

Ron Mayer wrote:
> Tom Lane wrote:
>> I am, btw, still waiting for an actually plausible use-case for this.
>> AFAICS the setjmp-vs-exceptions thing puts a very serious crimp in
>> what you could hope to accomplish by importing a pile of C++ code.
> 
> The one use-case I can think of that imports a pile of C++ code
> is the GEOS library that PostGIS uses (used?):

There are also quite a number of OSS algorithms, useful for query 
optimization or otherwise, which are written in C++.  For example, the 
fully OSS implementation of annealing (potentially useful as a 
replacement for GEQO) is in C++.

However, the real reason to do this is to attract C++ hackers to hack on 
PostgreSQL and extend it.  Most of what makes PostgreSQL cool now we got 
because PostgreSQL is so easy for C geeks to hack on.  Who knows what 
the C++ crowd will contribute if given the opportunity?  It's not the 
stuff we *know* we can get which is exciting, it's the stuff we don't 
know about.

(and yes, I realize this would hold true of other programming languages 
as well.  However, we can't support them as easily as C++)

As the Guy Who Is Obsessed With Making Our Community Grow (GWIOWMOCG), I 
strongly support this goal.  Although the other issues like breakage 
need fixing.

--Josh