// STL compatibility hacks

#define STL_INDEX_COMPATIBILITY(C) \
	typedef T             value_type; \
	typedef ConstIterator const_iterator; \
	typedef const T&      const_reference; \
	typedef int           size_type; \
	typedef int           difference_type; \
	const_iterator        begin() const          { return B::Begin(); } \
	const_iterator        end() const            { return B::End(); } \
	void                  clear()                { B::Clear(); } \
	size_type             size()                 { return B::GetCount(); } \

#define STL_BI_COMPATIBILITY(C) \
	typedef T             value_type; \
	typedef ConstIterator const_iterator; \
	typedef const T&      const_reference; \
	typedef int           size_type; \
	typedef int           difference_type; \
	const_iterator        begin() const          { return Begin(); } \
	const_iterator        end() const            { return End(); } \
	void                  clear()                { Clear(); } \
	size_type             size()                 { return GetCount(); } \
	typedef Iterator      iterator; \
	typedef T&            reference; \
	iterator              begin()                { return Begin(); } \
	iterator              end()                  { return End(); } \

#define STL_MAP_COMPATIBILITY(C) \
	typedef T             value_type; \
	typedef ConstIterator const_iterator; \
	typedef const T&      const_reference; \
	typedef int           size_type; \
	typedef int           difference_type; \
	const_iterator        begin() const          { return B::Begin(); } \
	const_iterator        end() const            { return B::End(); } \
	void                  clear()                { B::Clear(); } \
	size_type             size()                 { return B::GetCount(); } \
	typedef Iterator      iterator; \
	typedef T&            reference; \
	iterator              begin()                { return B::Begin(); } \
	iterator              end()                  { return B::End(); } \

#define STL_VECTOR_COMPATIBILITY(C) \
	typedef T             value_type; \
	typedef ConstIterator const_iterator; \
	typedef const T&      const_reference; \
	typedef int           size_type; \
	typedef int           difference_type; \
	const_iterator        begin() const          { return Begin(); } \
	const_iterator        end() const            { return End(); } \
	void                  clear()                { Clear(); } \
	size_type             size()                 { return GetCount(); } \
	typedef Iterator      iterator; \
	typedef T&            reference; \
	iterator              begin()                { return Begin(); } \
	iterator              end()                  { return End(); } \
	reference             front()                { return (*this)[0]; } \
	const_reference       front() const          { return (*this)[0]; } \
	reference             back()                 { return Top(); } \
	const_reference       back() const           { return Top(); } \
	void                  push_back(const T& x)  { Add(x); } \
	void                  pop_back()             { Drop(); }

I've read and re-read [url=http://www.ultimatepp.org/www$uppweb$vsstd$en-us.html]this page[/url], but I still can't quite see how U++ and std:: can be so incompatible that there's no hope of improving the std::-style system to the point of matching U++ performance.

I only pose this idea because it feels to me like you and boost have similar goals.  I could, of course, be wrong.  I know, for example, that boost has less of an emphasis on performance and more of an emphasis on their idea of 'correctness', so you may differ significantly there.  (This is certainly not to say you have no concern for 'correctness', but that you may have a slightly different idea of what is 'correct' from boost).