Golang 的排序演算法將換成 pdqsort,LLVM libc++ 換成 BlockQuicksort

Hacker News 首頁上看到的消息,Golang 將會把 sort.Sort() 換成 pdqsort (Pattern-defeating Quicksort):「Go will use pdqsort in next release (github.com/golang)」,對應的 commit 則是在「sort: use pdqsort」這邊可以看到。

然後另外是「Changing std:sort at Google’s scale and beyond (danlark.org)」這邊提到了,LLVMlibc++std::sortQuicksort 換成 BlockQuicksort。另外在文章裡面有提到一段 Knuth 老大在 TAOCP 裡講 sorting algorithm 沒有霸主的情況:

It would be nice if only one or two of the sorting methods would dominate all of the others, regardless of application or the computer being used. But in fact, each method has its own peculiar virtues. […] Thus we find that nearly all of the algorithms deserve to be remembered, since there are some applications in which they turn out to be best.

先回到 pdqsort 的部份,pdqsort 作者的 GitHub 上 (orlp/pdqsort) 可以看到他對 pdqsort 的說明:

Pattern-defeating quicksort (pdqsort) is a novel sorting algorithm that combines the fast average case of randomized quicksort with the fast worst case of heapsort, while achieving linear time on inputs with certain patterns.

看名字也可以知道 pdqsort 是從 Quicksort 改良的版本,而依照 Golang 的 commit 上的測試,與 Quicksort 相比,少數情況下會慢一點點,大多數的情況下會快一些,而在特殊情境下會讓 worst case 下降。

Golang 選擇把 unstable 的 Quicksort 換成 pdqsort,LLVM 則是選擇把 Quicksort 換成 BlockQuicksort,這邊看起來有些分歧...

反倒是各個程式語言對於 stable 的 Mergesort 陸陸續續都換成了 Timsort,看起來比較像是有個共識...