Algorithms in a Nutshell

References | 11

Algorithms

Matter

work well enough. You must balance the cost of the solution against the value it

adds. It’s quite possible that Gary’s implementation could be improved, either by

optimizing his implementation or by using a different algorithm. However, the

performance of the memory leak detection software was more than acceptable for

the intended use, and any additional improvements would have been unproduc-

tive overhead.

The ability to choose an acceptable algorithm for your needs is a critical skill that

any good software developer should have. You don’t necessarily have to be able to

perform detailed mathematical analysis on the algorithm, but you must be able to

understand someone else’s analysis. You don’t have to invent new algorithms, but

you do need to understand which algorithms fit the problem at hand. This book

will help you develop these capabilities. When you have them, you’ve added

another tool to your software development toolkit.

References

Cormen, Thomas H., Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein,

Introduction to Algorithms, Second Edition. McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Algorithms in a Nutshell
Algorithms in a Nutshell By Gary Pollice, George T. Heineman, Stanley Selkow ISBN:
9780596516246 Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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