4 ms·

If someone asks you 'what is 2+2' the correct answer is not 'if you have to calculate 2+2 by hand you're Doing It Wrong'. The correct answer is '4'

InclinedPlane 16y ago
This is not a 2+2 question. If someone asks you "how do I dispose of a dead body without the cops knowing about it?" The correct answer is not the simplistic direct answer to that question. Sometimes the correct answer is "why are you doing that? don't do that!"
- burgerbrain 16y ago
  Exactly. Furthermore, in this case we aren't even given enough information to derive a "true" direct answer. What's the architecture? The compiler? Hell, we don't even know the language! Assuming x86, gcc, and C, which is a best case assumption (from the standpoint of easily being able to come upon an answer, and test it) we still don't quite know. What optimization level is being used? Without answers to all of those questions, and likely more, the only possible answer is "if you need to know, you already messed up".
  - statictype 16y ago
    You're right that enough information wasn't provided to get a meaningful answer. I disagree though, that the response to that is 'you messed up' instead of 'give us more info'.
- statictype 16y ago
  Sometimes it is. Sometimes not. Don't you think the original question was at least interesting in a pedantic way if not useful in practice? Yes, if you're worried about 1==x vs x==1 then you're probably writing code at the wrong level, but it's still a nice thing to investigate and reason about on a purely academic level. In those cases, skirting the question by saying "You're doing it wrong" adds nothing to the conversation except to pull in a few "Yeah" shouts from the chorus.
  - InclinedPlane 16y ago
    Many people have added to the discussion. The truly correct answer is (as others have pointed out): you shouldn't have to ask. Because if it actually matters to you then you should be using profiling, timing tools, etc. that will make it trivial to figure out which one is faster.

InclinedPlane 16y ago

This is not a 2+2 question. If someone asks you "how do I dispose of a dead body without the cops knowing about it?" The correct answer is not the simplistic direct answer to that question. Sometimes the correct answer is "why are you doing that? don't do that!"

burgerbrain 16y ago
Exactly. Furthermore, in this case we aren't even given enough information to derive a "true" direct answer. What's the architecture? The compiler? Hell, we don't even know the language! Assuming x86, gcc, and C, which is a best case assumption (from the standpoint of easily being able to come upon an answer, and test it) we still don't quite know. What optimization level is being used? Without answers to all of those questions, and likely more, the only possible answer is "if you need to know, you already messed up".
- statictype 16y ago
  You're right that enough information wasn't provided to get a meaningful answer. I disagree though, that the response to that is 'you messed up' instead of 'give us more info'.
statictype 16y ago
Sometimes it is. Sometimes not. Don't you think the original question was at least interesting in a pedantic way if not useful in practice? Yes, if you're worried about 1==x vs x==1 then you're probably writing code at the wrong level, but it's still a nice thing to investigate and reason about on a purely academic level. In those cases, skirting the question by saying "You're doing it wrong" adds nothing to the conversation except to pull in a few "Yeah" shouts from the chorus.
- InclinedPlane 16y ago
  Many people have added to the discussion. The truly correct answer is (as others have pointed out): you shouldn't have to ask. Because if it actually matters to you then you should be using profiling, timing tools, etc. that will make it trivial to figure out which one is faster.