On 23.08.2006, at 17:11, Vlad Seryakov wrote:
In the case when ns_set has only few items, sequential search can be much faster than hash overhead, so i am not sure about this one
Yes. This is true. But how would you know? Say you have 100 element set and the thing you are looking for is on the 1 place? Obviously, the sequential search is instant. But if the thing is at the end, then hash *could* be faster. The real problem is: set with a handful of items (2-5). There the sequential search would be almost always faster. At some point (depending on the size of the set), a hash lookup could pay off. the problem is how to locate that point! OTOH, how MUCH is the hash lookup slower for a say, 10 or 20 elements set if, for example, the thing is sitting in the middle? I believe this is the question to answer... Perhaps I should write some test code... Cheers Zoran
