History
The first machines that were capable of computation were severely limited by purely mechanical considerations. As later electronic machines were developed they were, in turn, limited by the speed of their electronic counterparts. As software replaced hard-wired circuits, the efficiency of algorithms remained important. It has long been recognized that the precise 'arrangement of processes' is critical in reducing elapsed time.
-
"In almost every computation a great variety of arrangements for the succession of the processes is possible, and various considerations must influence the selections amongst them for the purposes of a calculating engine. One essential object is to choose that arrangement which shall tend to reduce to a minimum the time necessary for completing the calculation"
-
- Ada Lovelace 1815–1852, generally considered as 'the first programmer' who worked on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer
-
"In established engineering disciplines a 12% improvement, easily obtained, is never considered marginal and I believe the same viewpoint should prevail in software engineering"
-
- Extract from "Structured Programming with go to Statements" by Donald Knuth, renowned computer scientist, Professor Emeritus and author of the Art of Computer Programming at Stanford University.
-
"The key to performance is elegance, not battalions of special cases"
-
- attributed to Jon Bentley and (Malcolm) Douglas McIlroy
Read more about this topic: Algorithmic Efficiency
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“When the history of this period is written, [William Jennings] Bryan will stand out as one of the most remarkable men of his generation and one of the biggest political men of our country.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
“There is nothing truer than myth: history, in its attempt to “realize” myth, distorts it, stops halfway; when history claims to have “succeeded” this is nothing but humbug and mystification. Everything we dream is “realizable.” Reality does not have to be: it is simply what it is.”
—Eugène Ionesco (b. 1912)
“The basic idea which runs right through modern history and modern liberalism is that the public has got to be marginalized. The general public are viewed as no more than ignorant and meddlesome outsiders, a bewildered herd.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)