Adding RATIONALE documentation which contains objectives, goals, and scope of the library.

mikhail_beris · mikhail_beris · commit 3bf7c6090294 · 2007-06-04T06:57:18.000Z
diff --git a/RATIONALE b/RATIONALE
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+C++ Networking Library
+Goals and Scope
+
+
+Objectives
+----------
+
+ o  Develop a high quality, portable, easy to use C++ networking library
+
+ o  Enable users to easily extend the library
+
+ o  Lower the barrier to entry for cross-platform network-aware C++ 
+    applications
+
+
+Goals
+-----
+
+ *  Implement a simple message implementation which can be used in
+    network protocol-specific routines for inter-operability and
+    to provide a generic interface to manipulating network-oriented
+    messages.
+
+ *  Implement easy to use protocol client libraries such as (but not
+    limited to):
+    
+        -  HTTP 1.0/1.1
+        -  (E)SMTP
+        -  SNMP
+        -  ICMP
+    
+ *  Implement an efficient easy to use URI class/parser.
+
+ *  Implement a fully compliant cross-platform asynchronous DNS resolver
+    either as a wrapper to external (C) libraries, or as hand-rolled
+    implementation.
+
+ *  Implement a MIME handler which builds message objects from either
+    data retrieved from the network or other sources and create
+    text/binary representations from existing message objects intended
+    for transport over the network.
+
+
+Scope
+-----
+
+ *  The library will provide a generic message class which is intended 
+    to be the common message type used by the protocol libraries.
+
+ *  The library will only contain client implementations for the various 
+    supported protocols.
+
+ *  The library will use only STL and Boost C++ library components, 
+    utilities, and libraries throughout the implementation.
+
+ *  The library will strive to use C++ templates and template 
+    metaprogramming techniques in order to not require the building of
+    external shared/static libraries. In other words, the library will be
+    header-only and compliant with the C++ standard.
+
+
