Preface
As Trinity states in the movie The Matrix:
It's the question that drives us, Neo. It's the question that brought you here.
You know the question, just as I did.
As authors of this book, we answer the question that has led you here:
Can I use algorithm X to solve my problem? If so, how do I implement it?
You likely do not need to understand the reasons why an algorithm is correct—if you do, turn to other sources, such as the 1,180-page bible on algorithms, Introduction to Algorithms, Second Edition, by Thomas H. Cormen et al. (2001). There you will find lemmas, theorems, and proofs; you will find exercises and step-by-step examples showing the algorithms as they perform. Perhaps surprisingly, however, you will not find any real code, only fragments of "pseudocode," the device used by countless educational textbooks to present a high-level description of algorithms. These educational textbooks are important within the classroom, yet they fail the software practitioner because they assume it will be straightforward to develop real code from pseudocode fragments.
We intend this book to be used frequently by experienced programmers looking for appropriate solutions to their problems. Here you will find solutions to the problems you must overcome as a programmer every day. You will learn what decisions lead to an improved performance of key algorithms that are essential for the success of your software applications. You will find real code that can be adapted to your needs and solution ...
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