Originally Posted by Physicsguy

Is there a website online to reliably test code like this, or any code at all? It would be nice to have a one-stop, go-to source for code benchmarking, where all other benchmarks would reside and be based off of.

Exactly my thought as of a week ago. Structured like Stack-Overflow, but for running instances of these routines and comparing results with others in a scientific manner.

Then it dawned on me: NO

Why not?

...i'm sure someone else will do it eventually, especially given the popularity of open-source. But then I realized, I happen to agree with Bill Gates a little more: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Hobbyists.jpg


I believe people in the tech-market need to stop giving away their sh*t for free, it can make not only your own, but others' efforts amount to $0

and yes: while $$$ isn't the only reason we code, it's a nice incentive.

Overall: I think we need to stop being stupid, to stop throwing our money away. To stop devaluing our technical SKILLS


That very idea right there: while being highly-contributive to the world of comp. sci. *could* do that.

I mean: is there a reason for why or why not Microsoft conceals source code for Windows 7? Competitive Advantage, maybe? What do you think?


it's generally understood in the programming industry that a great deal of techies lack business sense.

Originally Posted by Physicsguy

Is there a website online to reliably test code like this, or any code at all? It would be nice to have a one-stop, go-to source for code benchmarking, where all other benchmarks would reside and be based off of.

There are various sets of benchmarks floating around but most are specific to compiler (and version)+language+host and don't sufficiently split those components.

As to general program performance, most large bodies of code have plenty of room fro optomisation without attempting to squeeze a bit out of if statements - and if you're that desperate then it's time to recode in assembler anyway.

Use switch for discrete values - that's what it's designed for. I personally use nested if/elses as I think it makes compound conditionals clearer and code more maintainable.

Just for a laugh I'll quote some code that a certain agency delivered a little while ago to a premier league football club - see if you can think how to optimise it

connect to (Oracle) db
select all first team players by id  (premier key)
disconnect from db
 
for each id
    connect to db
    select player details
    disconnect from db
end-for

And this cutting-edge agency was being paid a six figure sum.

I should think a first year DBA could do better than that.

Discrete and Continuous Data (for those seeking a defintion)

likewise: switch is only useful for types int and char, not type double.


(can switch be used for string manipulation in any language?)

Originally Posted by Lashtal

(can switch be used for string manipulation in any language?)

PHP. As far as I know any type can be used in a switch statement in PHP (except for resources like db connections and file pointers maybe?).

Originally Posted by Lashtal

likewise: switch is only useful for types int and char, not type double.

Just to clarify, there are issues that can crop up when comparing floats in general. I don't know if any language explicitly prevents you from using a float in a switch, it just might not be a good idea to do it, depending on how the value is calculated.

Maybe Paul can clarify, but I think what he meant was discrete sets of values. Technically any data stored on a computer is discrete, including floats.

Originally Posted by NullPointer

...more often than not, good design leads to good performance.

true.dat

---

your if's were executing faster than your switches, as PHP-tech doesn't handles switches well... according to those guys from that link I supplied earlier.

Originally Posted by NullPointer

PHP. As far as I know any type can be used in a switch statement in PHP (except for resources like db connections and file pointers maybe?).



Just to clarify, there are issues that can crop up when comparing floats in general. I don't know if any language explicitly prevents you from using a float in a switch, it just might not be a good idea to do it, depending on how the value is calculated.

Maybe Paul can clarify, but I think what he meant was discrete sets of values. Technically any data stored on a computer is discrete, including floats.

I was indeed. And you're right - compare floats for exact value at your own peril.

Lashtal asks: can switch be used for string manipulation in any language? Simple answer is "it depends on the manipulation required". I can remember writing my first form-data-parsing code, in C, using a switch. 1996 was a good year

By the way, you can theoretically use handles of any description in php switches but it's a meaningless exercise as php doesn't guarantee any characteristic other than nominal for handles.