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Unified Diff: base/linked_list.h

Issue 179060: Add a comment explaining how base::LinkedList differs from std::list, to help... (Closed) Base URL: svn://chrome-svn/chrome/trunk/src/
Patch Set: fix an indentation Created 11 years, 4 months ago
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Index: base/linked_list.h
===================================================================
--- base/linked_list.h (revision 23831)
+++ base/linked_list.h (working copy)
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
#ifndef BASE_LINKED_LIST_H_
#define BASE_LINKED_LIST_H_
-// Simple LinkedList type.
+// Simple LinkedList type. (See the Q&A section to understand how this
+// differs from std::list).
//
// To use, start by declaring the class which will be contained in the linked
// list, as extending LinkNode (this gives it next/previous pointers).
@@ -47,6 +48,34 @@
// ...
// }
//
+// Questions and Answers:
+//
+// Q. Should I use std::list or base::LinkedList?
+//
+// A. The main reason to use base::LinkedList over std::list is
+// performance. If you don't care about the performance differences
+// then use an STL container, as it makes for better code readability.
+//
+// Comparing the performance of base::LinkedList<T> to std::list<T*>:
+//
+// * Erasing an element of type T* from base::LinkedList<T> is
+// an O(1) operation. Whereas for std::list<T*> it is O(n).
+// That is because with std::list<T*> you must obtain an
+// iterator to the T* element before you can call erase(iterator).
+//
+// * Insertion operations with base::LinkedList<T> never require
+// heap allocations.
+//
+// Q. How does base::LinkedList implementation differ from std::list?
+//
+// A. Doubly-linked lists are made up of nodes that contain "next" and
+// "previous" pointers that reference other nodes in the list.
+//
+// With base::LinkedList<T>, the type being inserted already reserves
+// space for the "next" and "previous" pointers (base::LinkNode<T>*).
+// Whereas with std::list<T> the type can be anything, so the implementation
+// needs to glue on the "next" and "previous" pointers using
+// some internal node type.
namespace base {
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