When designing a performance-intensive program, the very first step is to write your code without bothering with small optimizations:
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
- Donald Knuth
In the early development stages, the design of the program can change quickly and may require large rewrites and reorganizations of the code base. By testing different prototypes without the burden of optimization, you are free to devote your time and energy to ensure that the program produces correct results and that the design is flexible. After all, who needs an application that runs fast but gives the wrong answer?
The mantras that you should remember when optimizing your code are as follows:
- Make it run: We have ...
