Originally Posted by
matsp
The point of making a function virtual is that it can be overridden by a derived class.
If the point of the small common function is to supply some simplistic function, making it virtual is not much use, because, as you hint, it makes a user of the derived class think that it's something that may be, should be or must be [depending on the general class implementation] overridden by the derived class. If the intention is simply to supply a basic, common utility function, then it should not become a virtual function - because it's then not a basic common utility function, but a virtual member function.
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Mats
