From owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Mar 6 13:54:17 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 823C416A4CE for ; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 13:54:17 -0800 (PST) Received: from tx0.oucs.ox.ac.uk (tx0.oucs.ox.ac.uk [129.67.1.163]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C94D343D2F for ; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 13:54:16 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from colin.percival@wadham.ox.ac.uk) Received: from scan0.oucs.ox.ac.uk ([129.67.1.162] helo=localhost) by tx0.oucs.ox.ac.uk with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1AzjkN-0002rd-Fc for freebsd-chat@freebsd.org; Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:54:15 +0000 Received: from rx0.oucs.ox.ac.uk ([129.67.1.161]) by localhost (scan0.oucs.ox.ac.uk [129.67.1.162]) (amavisd-new, port 25) with ESMTP id 10762-06 for ; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 21:54:15 +0000 (GMT) Received: from gateway.wadham.ox.ac.uk ([163.1.161.253]) by rx0.oucs.ox.ac.uk with smtp (Exim 4.24) id 1AzjkN-0002rX-2C for freebsd-chat@freebsd.org; Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:54:15 +0000 Received: (qmail 10160 invoked by uid 1004); 6 Mar 2004 21:54:15 -0000 Received: from colin.percival@wadham.ox.ac.uk by gateway by uid 71 with qmail-scanner-1.20 (clamscan: 0.67. sweep: 2.18/3.79. Clear:RC:1(163.1.161.131):. Processed in 0.017843 secs); 06 Mar 2004 21:54:15 -0000 Received: from dhcp1131.wadham.ox.ac.uk (HELO piii600.wadham.ox.ac.uk) (163.1.161.131) by gateway.wadham.ox.ac.uk with SMTP; 6 Mar 2004 21:54:15 -0000 Message-Id: <6.0.1.1.1.20040306214526.08c5ed70@imap.sfu.ca> X-Sender: cperciva@imap.sfu.ca (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 6.0.1.1 Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:53:51 +0000 To: stephan mantler From: Colin Percival In-Reply-To: <404A465A.1040009@stephanmantler.com> References: <20040306005744.T38020@haldjas.folklore.ee> <20040305153505.74061868.cpressey@catseye.mine.nu> <20040306013914.D38020@haldjas.folklore.ee> <404A465A.1040009@stephanmantler.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD Most wanted X-BeenThere: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Non technical items related to the community List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:54:17 -0000 At 21:44 06/03/2004, stephan mantler wrote: >Also, to get a bit closer to the original topic. I can't remember where I >read this (DDJ probably), but apparently programmers who have a deep >understanding of computer architecture through low level programming also >produce "better" code in high level languages. My interpretation is that >they are simply feeding the compiler a better foundation to work with. Having seen quite a lot of undergraduate "computer science" students over past decade, I can certainly support that interpretation. Nobody quite understands why hash tables are not a perfect data structure until they've tried to implement one in assembly language. (And, after performing such a task, few people will use hash tables without asking themselves, at least for a moment, if there might be a cheaper solution to the problem at hand.) Colin Percival