Author: Bo Persson
Date: 04:40:24 09/16/01
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On September 15, 2001 at 17:52:29, Sune Fischer wrote: [...] >LOL, thank you all for your insight, I will try rewriting it to use pointers. Please, don't! >I've been using references ever since I read the following in a C++ book: >"Specifying a parameter to a function as a reference changes the method of >passing data for that parameter. The method used is not pass-by-value where an >argument is copied before being passed, but pass-by-reference where the >parameter acts as an alias for the argument passed. This eliminates any copying >and allows the function to access the caller argument directly. It also means >that the de-referencing, which is required when passing and using a pointer > to a value, is also unnecessary." > >That lead me to believe that pointers where actually slower, however I have >never tested for myself. A reference parameter is usually (close to always!) implemented as a pointer anyway, so you will not save anything but only mess up your code. >I have always believed that C++ was slower than C, some people I know thinks >otherwise. Anyone have an estimate of how much slower it is? >I've been thinking of rewriting to C++, but no way if it would slow it down! In the next post Vincent claims that *his* C++ code is much slower than his C code. This is not and indication that the C++ *language* is bad, just that it is possible to write very bad C++ *code*. You don't have to do that! For example: You can structure your code in C++ classes without any need whatsoever to allocate them dynamically. C++ allows you to inline a large number of small functions, saving a lot of code without using *ugly* macros. The stronger typing of C++ allows a compiler to rule out some of the aliasing for parameters, because it can assume that a class Piece& and a class Square& are not aliased (even though they are possibly ints internally). >-S. Bo Persson bop2@telia.com
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