From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: fac41,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gidfac41,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,4b06f8f15f01a568 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1108a1,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gid1108a1,public X-Google-Thread: f43e6,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gidf43e6,public From: Matthew Heaney Subject: Re: Software landmines (loops) Date: 1998/09/01 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 386673765 Sender: matt@mheaney.ni.net References: <6sbuod$fra$1@hirame.wwa.com> <35f51e53.48044143@news.erols.c NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 21:20:03 PDT Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel,comp.object,comp.software-eng,comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-09-01T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: doylep@ecf.toronto.edu (Patrick Doyle) writes: > Doubles the number of states, compared to what? The *only* difference > is that the exit-in-the-middle code has one of the exit conditions > hidden inside the loop, instead of being stated explicitly at the > top or bottom. > > Exit-in-the-middle is not inherently simpler, as you seem to suggest, > or else it would be a different algorithm. Disagree. A decision table for the original solution has only 2 rules (columns). 1 2 Iterating Y N --------------- A decision table for the "improved" solution has 4 rules: 1 2 3 4 Iterating Y Y N N Equal Y N Y N --------------------- This is why I say the number of states to consider is doubled by the addition of a flag into the predicate. The decision table has twice as many rules. So I really would say that the exit-in-the-middle solution is inherently simpler.