ID Number: Q48965
5.00 5.10 6.00 6.00a 6.00ax | 5.10 6.00 6.00a
MS-DOS | OS/2
Summary:
In Microsoft C versions 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.0a, and 6.0ax, when using
qsort() in a worst-case situation (for example, the array is already
sorted in reverse order), the qsort() library routine appears to take
an extremely long time.
More Information:
The qsort() routine provided by Microsoft was optimized for both speed
and stack usage [stack space is important because qsort() is heavily
recursive]. Therefore, in a worst-case situation, which could recurse
up to the number of elements in the list, qsort() sacrifices speed for
stack space. This behavior allows larger lists to be sorted without
stack overflow problems. Furthermore, Microsoft's qsort() routine is
very competitive in sorting random files, the type of array for which
quick sorts are designed.
If used judiciously, Microsoft's qsort() is a very effective sort
routine. In worst-case situations, Microsoft's qsort() is slower than
some other sorting routines, but successfully sorts larger arrays
without stack overflow problems.
Additional reference words: 5.00 5.10 6.00 6.00a 6.00ax