The formal review of the Sort
library by Steven Ross starts today, November 10 and is scheduled
to continue through November 19th.
About the Sort library
==================
The Sort library is a library which implements hybrid sorting
algorithms
based on a Spreadsort (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spreadsort
), of which the author of the library, Steven Ross, is the
inventor.
The algorithm provides a sort that is faster than O(n*log(n)).
The library provides a generic implementation of high-speed
sorting algorithms that outperform those in the C++ standard in
both average and worst case performance. These algorithms only
work on random access iterators. They are hybrids using both radix
and comparison-based sorting, specialized to sorting common data
types, such as integers, floats, and strings. These algorithms are
encoded in a generic fashion and accept functors, enabling them to
sort any object that can be processed like these basic data types.
Where to get it
===============
The library is available on github at
https://github.com/spreadsort/sort.
The library is in modular Boost format and can be cloned to
libs/sort under your local modular boost directory.
I have provided as the review manager online documentation at:
http://eldiener.github.io/sort
Review guidelines
=================
Reviews should be submitted to the developer list (
boost@lists.boost.org),
preferably with '[sort]' in the subject. Or if you don't wish to
for some reason or are not subscribed to the developer list you
can send them privately to me at 'eldiener at tropicsoft dot com'.
If so, please let me know whether or not you'd like your review to
be forwarded to the list.
For your review you may wish to consider the following questions:
- What is your evaluation of the design?
- What is your evaluation of the implementation?
- What is your evaluation of the documentation?
- What is your evaluation of the potential usefulness of the
library?
- Did you try to use the library? With what compiler? Did
you
have any problems?
- How much effort did you put into your evaluation? A glance?
A
quick reading? In-depth study?
- Are you knowledgeable about the problem domain?
And finally, every review should attempt to answer this question:
- Do you think the library should be accepted as a Boost
library?
Be sure to say this explicitly so that your other comments don't
obscure your overall opinion.
Even if you do not wish to give a full review any technical
comment regarding the library is welcome as part of the review
period and will help me as the review manager decide whether the
library should be accepted as a Boost library. Any questions about
the use of the library are also welcome.
I encourage all programmers with an interest or knowledge of
sorting algorithms to be part of the review or discussion of the
Sort library as your time permits.
