[all-commits] [llvm/llvm-project] 58ef1e: [libc] Bound the worst-case stack usage in qsort()...

[Simon Tatham via All-commits]

  Branch: refs/heads/main
  Home:   https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project
  Commit: 58ef1eb06143f48629e8b904971ab014fc4bad39
      https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/commit/58ef1eb06143f48629e8b904971ab014fc4bad39
  Author: Simon Tatham <simon.tatham at arm.com>
  Date:   2024-10-08 (Tue, 08 Oct 2024)

  Changed paths:
    M libc/src/stdlib/qsort_data.h
    M libc/src/stdlib/quick_sort.h

  Log Message:
  -----------
  [libc] Bound the worst-case stack usage in qsort(). (#110849)

Previously, the Quicksort implementation was written in the obvious way:
after each partitioning step, it explicitly recursed twice to sort the
two sublists. Now it compares the two sublists' sizes, and recurses only
to sort the smaller one. To handle the larger list it loops back round
to the top of the function, so as to handle it within the existing stack
frame.

This means that every recursive call is handling a list at most half
that of its caller. So the maximum recursive call depth is O(lg N).
Otherwise, in Quicksort's bad cases where each partition step peels off
a small constant number of array elements, the stack usage could grow
linearly with the array being sorted, i.e. it might be Θ(N).

I tested this code by manually constructing a List Of Doom that causes
this particular quicksort implementation to hit its worst case, and
confirming that it recursed very deeply in the old code and doesn't in
the new code. But I haven't added that list to the test suite, because
the List Of Doom has to be constructed in a way based on every detail of
the quicksort algorithm (pivot choice and partitioning strategy), so it
would silently stop being a useful regression test as soon as any detail
changed.



To unsubscribe from these emails, change your notification settings at https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/settings/notifications