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Portability Requirements

  • A library’s interface must be portable and not restricted to a particular compiler or operating system.

  • A library’s implementation must if possible be portable and not restricted to a particular compiler or operating system. If a portable implementation is not possible, non-portable constructions are acceptable if reasonably easy to port to other environments, and implementations are provided for at least two popular operating systems (such as UNIX and Windows).

  • A library runs on at least two C++ compilers implementing the latest ISO standard.

  • There is no requirement that a library run on C++ compilers which do not conform to the ISO standard.

  • There is no requirement that a library run on any particular C++ compiler. Boost contributors often try to ensure their libraries work with popular compilers. The boost/config.hpp configuration header is the preferred mechanism for working around compiler deficiencies.

Since there is no absolute way to prove portability, many boost submissions demonstrate practical portability by compiling and executing correctly with two different C++ compilers, often under different operating systems. Otherwise reviewers may disbelieve that porting is in fact practical.