Should the complexity of std::list::size() be O(n) or O(1)?

[Gabriel Dos Reis]

Jonathan Wakely <jwakely.gcc@gmail.com> writes:

| On 11/29/05, Peter Dimov <pdimov@mmltd.net> wrote:
| 
| > If all containers that keep their elements in a contiguous block of memory
| > (std::vector, std::string, std::valarray, user-defined array, string, matrix
| 
| Sorry for going off on a tangent, but does the standard actually
| require contiguous storage for std::string?

It does not.  But, that does not matter.  Just pretend it does and if 
implementations don't agree you, decree they are not portable <g>.

More seriously, there have been discussions to require it and I
believe the general sentiment now is "yes"

But no, I don't buy the container<T>::iterator == T* argument.

-- Gaby