From: dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)
Subject: Re: Beware: Rep spec on an enumeration type causes code explosion
Date: 1997/12/11
Date: 1997-12-11T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <dewar.881901936@merv> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 97121110170208@psavax.pwfl.com
<< I'll give you a good reason why getting too smart about rep clause
implementation might be a Bad Thing. Suppose I implement an
enumeral type with a "confirming" rep clause because I know I'm
dealing with a real live hardware interface or message format and
want to make it clear that the representation for this given
enumeration is critical. I compile & run and my timing comes out a
given way because your compiler was smart enough to detect that my
representation was conveniently matching the positions. So far, so
good. At a later date the hardware or message format changes to
include some new bit patterns which create holes in the
representation and now when I compile I get a significantly
different implementation for the enumeration and a corresponding
change in performance. This is a satisfactory definition of the
technical term: "Bad Thing".
Sometimes poor performance isn't as bad a Bad Thing as
inconsistent performance can be.
>>
I don't buy this. A representation with holes is substantially and
fundamentally different from one that does not have holes. Your
inconsistency problem would still arise if the original program had
not bothered with a rep clause on the grounds that it had no effect.
Surely you don't think all enumeration types should be made horribly
inefficient, just so that in case you add a rep clause with holes
your program does not slow down!
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1997-12-11 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 68+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1997-12-11 0:00 Beware: Rep spec on an enumeration type causes code explosion Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
1997-12-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar [this message]
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1997-12-11 0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
1997-12-09 0:00 tmoran
1997-12-05 0:00 Joe Gwinn
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-08 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-08 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-09 0:00 ` Stanley R. Allen
1997-12-06 0:00 ` David Marshall
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Tucker Taft
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-08 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-08 0:00 ` Mats Weber
1997-12-09 0:00 ` Geert Bosch
1997-12-10 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-09 0:00 ` Tucker Taft
1997-12-09 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-12-10 0:00 ` Charles Hixson
1997-12-10 0:00 ` Jean-Pierre Rosen
1997-12-10 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-10 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
1997-12-11 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-12-11 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
1997-12-16 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-12-17 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-16 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-12-17 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-17 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-12-18 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-17 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-15 0:00 ` Tucker Taft
1997-12-16 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1997-12-10 0:00 ` Stephen Leake
1997-12-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-10 0:00 ` Stanley R. Allen
1997-12-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-11 0:00 ` Rakesh Malhotra
1997-12-11 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Samuel Tardieu
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Rakesh Malhotra
1997-12-14 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-12-12 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-15 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-16 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-16 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Corey Minyard
1997-12-08 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1997-12-10 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-06 0:00 ` Kevin D. Heatwole
[not found] ` <dewar.881478386@merv>
1997-12-07 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-09 0:00 ` Jim Gleason
1997-12-07 0:00 ` Larry Kilgallen
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