4 ms·

He certainly knows how to promote his software, always getting way more attention than "usual" open source authors. What about his floating point conversion so

He certainly knows how to promote his software, always getting way more attention than "usual" open source authors. What about his floating point conversion software that is basically David Gay's?

ggrrhh_ta 6y ago
Do you mean the code in http://www.netlib.org/fp/ http://www.netlib.org/fp/ under dtoa.c? (for strtod)... It appears from https://lemire.me/blog/2020/03/10/fast-float-parsing-in-practice/ https://lemire.me/blog/2020/03/10/fast-float-parsing-in-prac... that he doesn't even claim to have had the idea for the floating point conversion code... What is the connection?
- maglap 6y ago
  The casual reader of his blogs (like many on HN apparently) is likely to get the impression that he had the original ideas for much of his software. His software has very few tests (especially for floating point), there's no paper for the method but nevertheless it apparently gets used at Google almost instantly. So it looks as if there are connections that regular OSS authors don't have.
  - ggrrhh_ta 6y ago
    But well, because it's written and wrapped in a readily usable form, with a very permissible license. If there are concerns about the deserved credit, I found it good that it is voiced and he should make sure it credit goes to where it should. I want to know where the ideas originated from and also appreciate the value that Lemire's group adds to be it.
  - ggrrhh_ta 6y ago
    Actually, I did upvote your comment. After doing some research and looking into his blog, I realized that I though that things that he describes that appear in previous works give the impression that they are his ideas. The posts are great and a fantastic source of information, very valuable by themselves. I don't understand why wouldn't he just be more clear about the credit to others.
eternalban 6y ago
When I read his 'discovery' of fast modulo division [1], it immediately reminded me of the same technique discussed as an aside in this very interesting [2006] IBM SIMD paper [2]. I let him know about this and he added the last footnote in [1], but no update of his blog or related github page saying "hah, turns out this was a known method at least in IBM'. It left a slight bad impression in my mind. So, yeah .. [1]: https://lemire.me/blog/2016/06/27/a-fast-alternative-to-the-modulo-reduction/ https://lemire.me/blog/2016/06/27/a-fast-alternative-to-the-... See "2 Outline of Approach" section, last 2 paragraphs: [2]: https://dominoweb.draco.res.ibm.com/reports/rc24100.pdf https://dominoweb.draco.res.ibm.com/reports/rc24100.pdf
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- teraflop 6y ago
  Why did you put "discovery" in quotes, even though Lemire doesn't claim anywhere in that blog post to have discovered or invented the technique?
  - eternalban 6y ago
    That's a fair point. Generally I am used to seeing a cite of original source on an elaboration, proof, or "let's dig into how it works" sort of writeups on algorithmic approaches. (Sometimes this is done even when the algorithm in question and source is well known.) Specially if the author is an academic.
  - ggrrhh_ta 6y ago
    Well; I read the blog post and I am disappointed at Lemire, actually. Yes, it does not claim anywhere it is his invention - it starts the description of the algorithm with "The common solution", but if you read it, it really looks like the development of the technique as a whole is his; at the end one note says: "The technique described in this blog post is in used within Microsoft Arriba." If no one had pointed out that it is not his, I would have thought that it was his, the blog post title is "A fast alternative to the fast modulo reduction", and not "How X's algorithm for fast modulo reduction works. My implementation".

He certainly knows how to promote his software, always getting way more attention than "usual" open source authors. What about his floating point conversion software that is basically David Gay's?

ggrrhh_ta 6y ago

Do you mean the code in http://www.netlib.org/fp/ http://www.netlib.org/fp/ under dtoa.c? (for strtod)... It appears from https://lemire.me/blog/2020/03/10/fast-float-parsing-in-practice/ https://lemire.me/blog/2020/03/10/fast-float-parsing-in-prac... that he doesn't even claim to have had the idea for the floating point conversion code... What is the connection?

maglap 6y ago
The casual reader of his blogs (like many on HN apparently) is likely to get the impression that he had the original ideas for much of his software. His software has very few tests (especially for floating point), there's no paper for the method but nevertheless it apparently gets used at Google almost instantly. So it looks as if there are connections that regular OSS authors don't have.
- ggrrhh_ta 6y ago
  But well, because it's written and wrapped in a readily usable form, with a very permissible license. If there are concerns about the deserved credit, I found it good that it is voiced and he should make sure it credit goes to where it should. I want to know where the ideas originated from and also appreciate the value that Lemire's group adds to be it.
- ggrrhh_ta 6y ago
  Actually, I did upvote your comment. After doing some research and looking into his blog, I realized that I though that things that he describes that appear in previous works give the impression that they are his ideas. The posts are great and a fantastic source of information, very valuable by themselves. I don't understand why wouldn't he just be more clear about the credit to others.

eternalban 6y ago

When I read his 'discovery' of fast modulo division [1], it immediately reminded me of the same technique discussed as an aside in this very interesting [2006] IBM SIMD paper [2]. I let him know about this and he added the last footnote in [1], but no update of his blog or related github page saying "hah, turns out this was a known method at least in IBM'. It left a slight bad impression in my mind. So, yeah .. [1]: https://lemire.me/blog/2016/06/27/a-fast-alternative-to-the-modulo-reduction/ https://lemire.me/blog/2016/06/27/a-fast-alternative-to-the-... See "2 Outline of Approach" section, last 2 paragraphs: [2]: https://dominoweb.draco.res.ibm.com/reports/rc24100.pdf https://dominoweb.draco.res.ibm.com/reports/rc24100.pdf

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
teraflop 6y ago
Why did you put "discovery" in quotes, even though Lemire doesn't claim anywhere in that blog post to have discovered or invented the technique?
- eternalban 6y ago
  That's a fair point. Generally I am used to seeing a cite of original source on an elaboration, proof, or "let's dig into how it works" sort of writeups on algorithmic approaches. (Sometimes this is done even when the algorithm in question and source is well known.) Specially if the author is an academic.
- ggrrhh_ta 6y ago
  Well; I read the blog post and I am disappointed at Lemire, actually. Yes, it does not claim anywhere it is his invention - it starts the description of the algorithm with "The common solution", but if you read it, it really looks like the development of the technique as a whole is his; at the end one note says: "The technique described in this blog post is in used within Microsoft Arriba." If no one had pointed out that it is not his, I would have thought that it was his, the blog post title is "A fast alternative to the fast modulo reduction", and not "How X's algorithm for fast modulo reduction works. My implementation".