[webkit-dev] free functions

[Chris Jerdonek]

Hi, I have a question regarding WebKit's stance on free functions.

I sometimes come across public member functions whose implementations
do not depend on private data.

There is a school of thought that such functions are better non-member
because it reduces the number of functions coupled to private data.
On the other hand, I've heard the argument that making such functions
free creates naming issues -- it's not clear to the caller in which
header file to find the free function.

My question for WebKit is whether naming considerations outweigh
encapsulation considerations.  And if so, is there a naming convention
or otherwise that we can use to make finding free functions easier?

--Chris