Speed freaks
Other’s muse on the absurdity of those obsessed with speed. Like a meth addict, the use any possible rationale to justify their unhealthy obsession. My favorite is:
“What do you mean my algorithm runs at O(n!)? It’s twice as fast as yours with this small test set”
The number of times I’ve seen someone rant about how fast their new algorithm is—when running on an irrationally small sample—is uncountable. As I’ve said a million times:
- Make it work
- Make it right
- Make it fast enough
- Profit!
Seriously. Don’t put things in the wrong order, or you’ll never get anywhere.
This entry was posted at 9:19 pm on 20 July 2008 and is filed under Programming. You can follow any responses to this entry through the post-specific RSS 2.0 feed.
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I think a little load testing now and then during the design process can keep one honest. At the very least, it gives you an idea of what will squeak when the unwashed masses start to lean on your new server. :)