[Python-Dev] FYI: Techniques for scientific C++

David Ascher da@ski.org
Thu, 9 Sep 1999 23:28:07 -0700 (Pacific Daylight Time)


In case you haven't seen enough C++ papers, you might find this paper
interesting. It's a good way to learn more about templates without trying
to actually use them, and it's a very good way to decide to stay away from
high-power C++ techniques like expression templates.  Yeeagh!

(I especially like the program shown in section 1.11.1).

--david

Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 21:59:06 -0500 (EST)
From: Todd Veldhuizen <tveldhui@extreme.indiana.edu>
Subject: OON: Techniques for scientific C++

I've updated and expanded my slides on "Techniques for Scientific C++"
into a document.  It's available in HTML and Postscript from:

HTML: http://extreme.indiana.edu/~tveldhui/papers/techniques/
PS:   http://extreme.indiana.edu/~tveldhui/papers/techniques/techniques.ps

Here's the table of contents.

1.1: About this document
1.2: C++ Compilers
     1.2.1: Placating sub-standard compilers
     1.2.2: The compiler landscape
     1.2.3: C++-specific optimization
1.3: Compile times
     1.3.1: Headers
     1.3.2: Prelinking
     1.3.3: The program database approach -- Visual Age C++
     1.3.4: Quadratic/Cubic template algorithms
1.4: Static Polymorphism
     1.4.1: Are virtual functions evil?
     1.4.2: Solution A: simple engines
     1.4.3: Solution B: the Barton and Nackman Trick
1.5: Callback inlining techniques
     1.5.1: Callbacks: the typical C++ approach
     1.5.1.1: Expression templates
     1.5.1.2: STL-style function objects
     1.5.1.3: Pointer-to-function as a template parameter
1.6: Managing code bloat
     1.6.1: Avoid kitchen-sink template parameters
     1.6.2: Put function bodies outside template classes
     1.6.3: Inlining levels
1.7: Containers
     1.7.1: STL-style containers
     1.7.2: Data/View containers
1.8: Aliasing and restrict
1.9: Traits
     1.9.1: An example: average()
     1.9.2: Type promotion example
1.10: Expression templates
     1.10.1: Performance implications of pairwise evaluation
     1.10.2: Recursive templates
     1.10.3: Expression templates: building parse trees
     1.10.4: A minimal implementation
     1.10.5: Refinements
     1.10.6: Pointers to more information
     1.10.7: References
1.11: Template metaprograms
     1.11.1: Template metaprograms: some history
     1.11.2: The need for specialized algorithms
     1.11.3: Using template metaprograms to specialize algorithms
1.12: Comma overloading
     1.12.1: An example
1.13: Interfacing with Fortran codes
1.14: Some thoughts on performance tuning
     1.14.1: General suggestions
     1.14.2: Know what your compiler can do
     1.14.3: Data structures and algorithms
     1.14.4: Efficient use of the memory hierarchy

Cheers,
Todd
- -- 
Todd Veldhuizen               tveldhui@acm.org
Indiana Univ. Comp. Sci.      http://extreme.indiana.edu/~tveldhui/
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