Given that this proposal does not incorporate Clang's "transitional" module map files, I was curious if the authors feel there is a place for things like the `link` command in those maps (or #pragma comment in MSVC) that can tell compilers automatically that a library / framework is necessary.

Additionally, I fear that for a long time we'll have to see stuff like:

#if __has_feature(cxx_modules)

module my_module;

import std;

#else

#include <iostream>

#include <...> // many more #includes

#endif



#if __has_feature(cxx_modules)

export {

  ... export statements

}

#endif



//... rest of file, potentially with more #ifdefd logic.

// (not to mention the abstraction of __has_feature, which may not be available…)

So, instead of reducing/removing preprocessor directives, it will add them, cluttering up source files even more.

I'm also wondering if there should be special provisions made for `import std;` This has the effect of exposing the entire standard library, albeit inside the std namespace. For IDEs with type completion interfaces this could add a lot of noise to the search space. I guess this is more a best practices and/or a compiler problem.

And surely no module would be allowed to:

export {

  module std;

}

right?