Re: [boost] Re: Compact Data

From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-03-18 10:56:59

At 03:05 PM 3/17/2001, pinkfloydhomer_at_[hidden] wrote:

 >--- In boost_at_y..., pinkfloydhomer_at_y... wrote:
 >> I may be asking a stupid question here, and it might even be off
 >> topic (it's becoming a bad habit), but here goes:
 >>
 >> Is there currently in standard C++ a structured way to represent
 >data
 >> compactly, other than the old C bitfields?
 >>
 >> If there isn't, couldn't this be a relevant thing for Boost?
 >>
 >> Sometimes, you just need all the memory you can get, and it would
 >be
 >> nice if there were a really structured way of doing this.
 >>
 >> In my particular case, I am using a hashtable in a chess program,
 >and
 >> the performance in practice is directly dependant on effecient
 >> hashtable operations and space effecient storage of the entries,
 >> because more entries is better. This is not your typical hashtable,
 >> but one somewhat adapted to it's specific use, so I can't really
 >use
 >> anything else. Also, the need to store data effeciently in memory,
 >is
 >> very general.
 >
 >Not to be rude, but isn't anybody but me interested in this?

There was some interest in a "compression library".  Search the archives 
for that.

IIRC, it would use a stream concept, so presumably could be directed to 
internal memory as well as an external file or device.

--Beman