Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:53:51 +0000 From: Colin Percival <colin.percival@wadham.ox.ac.uk> To: stephan mantler <step@stephanmantler.com> Cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD Most wanted Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.1.20040306214526.08c5ed70@imap.sfu.ca> In-Reply-To: <404A465A.1040009@stephanmantler.com> References: <Pine.LNX.4.43.0403011839470.3269-100000@pilchuck.reedmedia.net> <EABDE846-6EF2-11D8-AE09-000A95DA58FE@jimz.net> <20040306005744.T38020@haldjas.folklore.ee> <20040305153505.74061868.cpressey@catseye.mine.nu> <20040306013914.D38020@haldjas.folklore.ee> <404A465A.1040009@stephanmantler.com>
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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
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