* Making the combined library headers go into boost-root/include. See separate post from Peter Dimov about this.
This touches on #1 as it makes for a user and tool expected location. That is, users are accustomed to looking for a top level include. And having such a location would reduce the documentation and instruction needed to point them away from their intuitive behavior. External tools also expect to find such a directory for a library, which is what a monolithic Boost looks like to tools. Hence it would make it easier to use, incorporate, author, etc tools. If we're going to do this, just do it, and take the consequences later ;)
Second, it means formalizing and regulating the top level structure of libraries. For the longest time we've had an accepted top level structure. Unfortunately library authors have added to that top level structure. For example to manage "sub-libraries" or "sub-parts" of their library... Which is understandable. But it makes life more difficult for the tools that rely on the structure assertions. For example currently the testing scripts rely on people updating a single listing file at "boost-root/status/Jamfile.v2". When in an ideal world the test tools would be able to automatically discover that information. Practically it means that currently that Jamfile lists 127 test dirs. But a cursory discovery of test dirs goes up to a possible 197. As far as following the top-level library structure.. There are currently 279 files and directories at the library top level that are not in the accepted set (and I'm already excluding things like readmes and changelogs, even though changelogs should be in docs). +1
Boost libraries should be following the common structure - as should the tools of course.
Last, I would like to re/move the "boost-root/status" directory. Two options I'm considering are moving to be "boost-root/test" to match the usual name for testing scripts. Or removing it and replacing it logic in the regression tools that is equivalent (i.e. move the functionality to the separate regression git repo). +1
Not so controversial after all, John.