1155156 - Remove the C++ portion of the ICU library

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Core :: Layout: Text and Fonts, defect)

Description

[Ted Clancy [:tedders1]]

The ICU4C library actually contains two completely different "interfaces". One is a C interface, and a C++ interface.

The C++ interface:

1) Is causing us grief, because it requires RTTI (run-time type information), while the rest of gecko is compiled without RTTI. 

2) Is taking up precious memory

3) Is completely unused by us.

4) Is the main the main reason Bug 864843 has been stuck for a year (holding up, like, 10 other bugs).

We don't need the C++ interface. We just need the C interface. For that reason, I'd like to remove all the C++ code.

(I wish ICU4C had a configuration option for enabling only one of the two interfaces, but it doesn't.)

Comment 1

[Jonathan Kew [:jfkthame]]

Is this actually feasible? My impression was that in many cases, ICU's real implementation is the C++ code, and the C interface is merely a "wrapper" around that.

Comment 2

[Mike Hommey [:glandium]]

My understanding is that the C interface is a wrapper around the C++ interface...

Comment 3

[Ted Clancy [:tedders1]]

Aw, blast. Yeah, I investigated, and you're right. I just assumed the C++ would wrap the C code.

Why would they put a C wrapper around C++ code? What's the point in that? What person writing in C wants to link to the C++ language support library?

Comment 4

[Mike Hommey [:glandium]]

libxml2 is C code and uses ICU.