Talk:FriendDependencies

From APIDesign

I have no real objections to friend relationships, although in C++ I avoid using the friend keyword. Reading this article about a new kind of dependency, I'm wodering if it wouldn't be much simpler to reserve the term API to talk about public interfaces? After all, the whole point of requiring a friend declaration is to keep the public from using the interface, right? So for all intents and purposes it is an internal interface, is it not? Even if it crosses module boundaries. While I agree that we always have software interfaces at module boundaries, I'm not convinced that calling all these interfaces APIs is a good idea. The concept of friend dependecies is a good example why.