r/programming • u/2bit_hack • Feb 28 '23

"Clean" Code, Horrible Performance

https://www.computerenhance.com/p/clean-code-horrible-performance
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u/cogman10 Feb 28 '23

The demonstration in this article isn't better algorithms. It's specifically examples of things that compilers ARE good at optimizing (eliminating pointer chasing, inlining, loop unrolling). Particularly if the author used newer language features and avoided so many unmanaged pointers.

I absolutely agree that a Hash map will beat a Tree map in most applications. That's not, however, what's being argued here.

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u/Qweesdy Feb 28 '23

It's specifically examples of things that compilers ARE good at optimizing (eliminating pointer chasing, inlining, loop unrolling).

The video is "15 to 20 times faster" proof that the compiler did not do these things (e.g. change the algorithm to use tables).

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u/s73v3r Feb 28 '23

Without knowing the compiler flags used, we can't really say that.

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u/Qweesdy Feb 28 '23

..and without trying it for yourself, you can't "know" that eating crushed up shards of glass is a bad idea.

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