Thread: Boost and Size

  1. #1
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    Boost and Size

    I installed Boost (in order to compile a different program), or several parts of it, I don't remember, and I remember the download being like 30 or more megabytes. If I use Boost in my program, do I only distribute sections of Boost, or am I left with a huge dependency?
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  2. #2
    Frequently Quite Prolix dwks's Avatar
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    I think that Boost is statically linked, so you wouldn't have any dependencies at all. Your executable would just increase in size by a small amount. Not very much. I compiled source-highlight (which uses Boost::Regex), and the executable was less than 1.5 MB. Plus source-highlight is a pretty complicated program.

    BTW, Boost, when compiled, takes up more like 300 MB of disk space. If you build everything.
    dwk

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  3. #3
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    Most boost libraries can be used without building or linking to boost. You just #include the header and it is used in your program. So not only do you not have to distribute anything, but your exe size won't be affected much.

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    Sweet. Thanks guys.
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