Replace enums with classes in C++

Problem

The C++ enum types have some shortcomings like:

Can't convert to a string.
Can't convert from a string.
Can't extend with member functions.

So the last time I needed the above features I remembered an article I've read about how Java could 'simulate' enums before they became part of the language with the Replace Enums with Classes. if we try to implement the pattern in C++ then we get something like this:


// Color.cpp

class Color {
	public:
		static const Color Red;
		static const Color Green;
		static const Color Blue;

		constexpr int value() const noexcept 
		{
			return value_;
		}

		constexpr const char *name() const noexcept 
		{
			return name_;
		}

		constexpr bool operator == (const Color &other) const noexcept 
		{
			return value_ == other.value_;
		}

		constexpr bool operator < (const Color &other) const noexcept 
		{
			return value_ < other.value_;
		}

	private:
		template <std::size_t SIZE>
			constexpr Color(int value, const char (&name)[SIZE]) noexcept
				: value_(value), name_(name) 
			{
			}

		int value_;
		const char *name_;
};

const Color Color::Red(  0, "Red");
const Color Color::Green(1, "Green");
const Color Color::Blue( 2, "Blue");

Some things to note:

The constructor is private so it's not possible to accidently create additional
```
Color
```
instances other then the static ones listed in the class declaration.
The only way you can create now a
```
Color
```
instance is if you make a copy of one of the static instances.
It's not actually necessary to make the static
```
Color
```
instances const, because the members (
```
value_
```
,
```
name_
```
) are already const and so the compiler 'deletes' the default copy constructor and the default assignment operator.
The constructor parameters ensure that
```
name
```
must be initialized with a string literal.
The comparison operators are not free functions because we don't have a converting constructor which together with free comparison functions would allow us to for example compare an integer with a
```
Color
```
.

With this we can already write code like this:


// ColorUsage.cpp

int main(int, char *[]) 
{
	Color color = Color::Blue;
	color = Color::Green;
	if (color == Color::Blue) {
		cout << color.name() << endl;
	}
	return 0;
}

Notes

The cppreference.com website lists a couple of enum libraries.