[webkit-dev] Do we have a style preference about const member functions?

[Brent Fulgham]

Hi,

On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 4:37 PM, Maciej Stachowiak <mjs at apple.com> wrote:
> I agree that one useful distinction is whether a particular kind of object
> is every manipulated via const pointers or references. If we never use const
> references/pointers to a particular kind of object, then it is probably not
> useful to maintain const-correctness discipline for that class.

I don't agree with this.  I see no harm in maintaining const
correctness on objects, even if they are not currently manipulated
through const references/pointers.  They provide clear,
self-documenting evidence that the object design intends that certain
methods do not visibly alter the object.

I fail to see how abandoning const correctness can do anything but
cause us to start missing bugs that we would otherwise have found via
compiler errors.

-Brent