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Category: Software Development

Loop unrolling as a symptom of premature optimization

Ken Gregg July 4, 2019January 29, 2021

I was asked a question recently that went something like this: “If a for loop is faster when it’s unrolled, why does my boss always want me to make my code shorter by using for loops, when my way (loop …

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Code Optimization

Is C a high-level language or a low-level language?

Ken Gregg June 4, 2019January 29, 2021

All programming languages are effectively on a spectrum of abstraction. Some are more abstract than others. So, with this in mind, within the set of high-level languages, you’re going to see some that abstract the inner workings of the machine …

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The C Programming Language

Why do some experienced C developers avoid certain features of C99 and later standards?

Ken Gregg June 3, 2019January 29, 2021

Professional software developers who use C to develop source code that is portable across compilers will often find themselves avoiding certain newer features of the language, not from lack of knowledge or understanding, but because not all compilers implement all …

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The C Programming Language

In C++, when should I use a class vs a struct?

Ken Gregg May 29, 2019January 29, 2021

In C++, the only technical difference between a struct and a class is that, by default (i.e., if you don’t specify anything), members of struct are public while members of a class are private. You can achieve encapsulation in a …

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The C++ Programming Language

Can data structures and algorithms be implemented in assembly language?

Ken Gregg May 29, 2019January 29, 2021

Yes, absolutely. Any general-purpose programming language, including all assembly languages, can be used to implement data structures and algorithms. Data structures and algorithms are independent of the implementation language. In fact, some instructors and authors present them using pseudocode or …

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Data Structures and Algorithms

Does the free function make a pointer NULL in C?

Ken Gregg May 20, 2019January 29, 2021

No, it doesn’t. The free library function places the specified block of memory back onto the heap’s free list (at least conceptually…actual implementation details can vary). But the free function doesn’t have access to the memory containing the pointer, because …

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The C Programming Language

Why do some developers advise new developers to ignore using Microsoft Windows?

Ken Gregg April 30, 2019January 29, 2021

I’ll go out on a limb and say, “Real developers don’t give advice like this. And if they do, they should examine their own motives and biases before giving that advice again.” It turns out that, although I might have …

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Career Advice for Software Engineers

Getting the Windows screen resolution in C

Ken Gregg March 4, 2019January 29, 2021

How you go about getting the screen resolution is dependent on the operating system and/or hardware you’re using. There is no concept of screen resolution in the C standard library. If you’re running an operating system, you could use the …

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Windows Programming

What’s the point of callback functions?

Ken Gregg February 17, 2019January 29, 2021

A callback is a function that you supply, which will be called sometime later on. Different programming languages provide different ways of specifying callback functions. Callbacks are useful in many scenarios, but they generally fall into one of two categories: synchronous …

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Program Organization

Does developing maintainable code really matter?

Ken Gregg February 2, 2019January 29, 2021

Yes, it does matter. I read a question recently about the importance of software maintainability: “Does writing maintainable code really matter, when the company rarely adds new features, and they tend to scrap each version for an entirely new one …

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Maintainability
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