From: kfrank29.c@googlemail.com   
      
   Hello Group!   
      
   What are some simple examples that illustrate the benefits   
   of template metaprogramming?   
      
   What I have in mind would be examples that "speak to"   
   programmers (like me) who don't have much experience   
   with template metaprogramming.   
      
   I'm looking for relatively simple programming challenges   
   that most programmers would have encountered for which   
   template metaprogramming would offer a good -- or even   
   compelling -- solution.   
      
   So the classic textbook example of calculating factorials   
   at compile time, while cool, isn't really a good example   
   in this sense because it's contrived.   
      
   By way of analogy, for templates (not metaprogramming) I   
   think that basic template functions like sort and max, and   
   template containers are very good illustrations of the   
   practical utility of templates.  (Prior to templates,   
   many programmers had written qsort wrappers, MIN / MAX   
   macros, and type-specific containers or used generic   
   containers that held pointers-to-base such as the old   
   Rogue Wave tools.h++ RWCollectable containers.  So when   
   templates came along, their benefits were readily   
   appreciated.)   
      
   I'm aware of things like the boost/spirit parser generator   
   and the boost/msm state-machine framework.  These are probably   
   not great examples because your typical programmer has not   
   tried to implement a parser generator or state-machine   
   framework (although he might have used one), so he probably   
   doesn't have a good feel for what the challenges are and   
   why template metaprogramming helps.   
      
      
   Thanks for any examples or other wisdom.   
      
      
   K. Frank   
      
      
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