Tek <tek### [at] evilsuperbraincom> wrote:
> What I said is that if you have a + between two ints it compiles to less code
> than if you have a + you've defined as an overload operator *for a more complex
> type*.

  Actually, that's not always so.

  In my example the + between the two class instances generated no code
at all, while a + between two ints may generate an addition asm code
(when the compiler can't do it at compile time)... :)

> i.e. the code looks the same, but it does more stuff (because the data it's
> operating on is more complex). This is *good* from an OO point of view, because
> you don't need to know about the implementation of the object in order to use
> it, but bad from an optimisation point of view, because you do need to know
> about the implementation in order to be able to use it *efficiently*.

  You need to know about how a library function is implemented anyways,
regardless of how it is called, if you want to make as optimal code as
possible.

  If you are using class instances you know that calling the operator+
for them will (potentially) generate a function call. If you don't know
that, you don't have business making highly-optimized hacker code.

  Besides, it's true what they say that optimization should firstly be
made at algorithmical level. Only when the algorithms and data containers
are as efficient as possible and the code still is too slow, then one should
try to look what is taking so long.
  Optimizing a function call away won't help you if your algorithm is
a thousand times slower than a completely different algorithm which makes
the same thing. :)

> >   Using operators makes the code cleaner and easier to read with complex
> > expressions.

> So what if it's easier to read?

  If you make write-and-forget code then it doesn't matter. However, if
you make code which potentially needs to be enhanced/fixed in the future
(and specially by someone else than you), then clarity is a big plus.

> A good programmer can deal with code that's hard
> to read

  Yes, after cursing you and your family for making it so hard to read.

-- 
#macro M(A,N,D,L)plane{-z,-9pigment{mandel L*9translate N color_map{[0rgb x]
[1rgb 9]}scale<D,D*3D>*1e3}rotate y*A*8}#end M(-3<1.206434.28623>70,7)M(
-1<.7438.1795>1,20)M(1<.77595.13699>30,20)M(3<.75923.07145>80,99)// - Warp -

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