This is something I've debated quite a bit. One of the problems is that businesses started to focus on good enough and relied heavily on better hardware. At the same time, developers started to get lazy and came up with solutions that just worked first. In most companies, they don't care about application performance especially if it is good enough and they have a huge backlog (which is very common).
The first question that I ask at the beginning of every interview is:
How can you swap two variables without using a third one?
Usually, those who have no idea will have an interesting reaction or get into an argument about the validity of the question. If they don't answer it, they end up learning something new.
At the same time, developers started to get lazy and came up with solutions that just worked first.
This is the big difference between coders and engineers, I guess. :-)
How can you swap two variables without using a third one?
I admit I had to use Notepad for that - I never had to solve this problem in my programming career. Ha! But it can be done in three elegant lines of pseudo-code. Thank you for the question, really.
In a real-world situation where this would be needed (i.e. there is a performance issue that needs to be resolved), my first inclination would be to see if this can be addressed by modifying the higher-level architecture, rather than needing to resort to low-level mathematical trickery.
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This is something I've debated quite a bit. One of the problems is that businesses started to focus on good enough and relied heavily on better hardware. At the same time, developers started to get lazy and came up with solutions that just worked first. In most companies, they don't care about application performance especially if it is good enough and they have a huge backlog (which is very common).
The first question that I ask at the beginning of every interview is:
How can you swap two variables without using a third one?
Usually, those who have no idea will have an interesting reaction or get into an argument about the validity of the question. If they don't answer it, they end up learning something new.
For the sake of it you can using xor swap
github.com/OpenGenus/cosmos/tree/m...
Yes. No magic involved.
You could scare kids with the question, not software developers.
Move on.
Nothing to see here :D
This is the big difference between coders and engineers, I guess. :-)
I admit I had to use Notepad for that - I never had to solve this problem in my programming career. Ha! But it can be done in three elegant lines of pseudo-code. Thank you for the question, really.
I loved this question! You should make a #challenge post with it!
Ok, coming up by popular demand! 😆
How can you swap two variables without using a third?
Nick Karnik
In a real-world situation where this would be needed (i.e. there is a performance issue that needs to be resolved), my first inclination would be to see if this can be addressed by modifying the higher-level architecture, rather than needing to resort to low-level mathematical trickery.