in VC++ 7.0 the following code does not compile, unless you remove the
comment in 4th line.
moreover, the error message looks quite strange:

d:\star\test\t03\t03.cpp(18) : error C2247: 'raise_to_pow<T>::pow<n>::apply'
not accessible because 'raise_to_pow<T>' uses 'private' to inherit from
'raise_to_pow<T>::pow<n>'

[I know the code itself seems useless, but it's just to hear if it's a known
bug or not]

template <class T>
class raise_to_pow
{

// public:
    template <int n>
    class pow
    {
        public:
        static T apply(T x)
        {
            return x * pow<n-1>::apply(x) ;
        }
    };

    template <>
    class pow<0>
    {
        public:
        static T apply(T x)
        {
        return 1;
        }
    };

public:

static T compute(T x)
{
return pow< sizeof(T) >::apply(x);

int main()
{
double x = 3.14;
double y = raise_to_pow<double>::compute(x);        // y = pow(3.14 ,8),
since sizeof(double) is 8
return 0;

--
 The set of solutions is never empty
 Two solutions together form a new problem
-- Mycroft Holmes

Known bug.

-cd

You should post something like this to
microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vc

known by who? ;)

--
{
    bool set<solution>::is_empty() { return false; }
    problem& operator+ ( solution&, solution& ) { return *new problem(); }