HP Prime: a student's view

[toml_12953]

(08-31-2021 03:37 PM)John Keith Wrote:  

(08-31-2021 11:10 AM)toml_12953 Wrote:  In a benchmark, it's important to use the exact same algorithm (and identical code, if possible). Otherwise, the results are meaningless. It's like comparing apples to oranges as we say. Since Python doesn't have a GOTO command, pick one of the published programs to convert that doesn't use GOTO. That leaves out the BASIC version. The closest one I saw to Python is the C version so I used that.

Many people don't get the purpose of benchmarks and change the algorithm or add special features of their machine then boast of faster runtimes. They're not really comparing their computer to the others in the published benchmark that way.

This is true as far as the algorithm is concerned. However I don't think it is necessary to insist on identical code. All languages have features (or misfeatures) that differentiate them from other languages. A programmer writing in a given language should use the strengths of that language to create the best possible program. To do otherwise is to unnecessarily cripple the program, which would also skew the benchmark result, albeit in the opposite direction.

The whole purpose of the benchmark is to compare machines running the same algorithms. If you use special features of one machine, you can't validly compare it to the others. It doesn't skew the benchmark, it gives a real comparison. Once a benchmark is published, individual programmers no longer have freedom to rewrite the programs if they want to compare their machines to the others. If their goal is to compare algorithms then that's a different story. Then they can try different features and methods to compare the algorithms but they should be run on the same machine. Again, you can't vary multiple parameters. You either have to run the same program on different machines to compare hardware or different algorithms on the same machine to compare software techniques. If you change both the machine and algorithm at the same time, the results are meaningless.