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From: chris@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.emacs
Subject: Re: text-mode in emacs
Message-ID: <8113@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 21-Aug-84 01:24:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.8113
Posted: Tue Aug 21 01:24:37 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Aug-84 00:33:49 EDT
References: <510@fritz.UUCP> <160@calmasd.UUCP>
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 22

Not that it's important in that particular example, but if you're
setting Emacs variables and the names are fixed it's a lot faster
(in versions with .mo files) to use

	(setq xyzzy 1)

than to use

	(set "xyzzy" 1)

The reason is that the compiler generates the name and a null pointer.
The first time the code is used, the variable is instantiated (if
necessary) and the pointer is modified to point to it.  Further
invocations of the same code need not look up the name ever again.
If you use the string name, however, a table lookup is done every
time.  (AND, the table is not sorted or hashed in any way!  The
various tables need to be consolidated somehow and a faster lookup
mechanism created.)  (Who, me?)
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci (301) 454-7690
UUCP:	{seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!chris
CSNet:	chris@umcp-cs		ARPA:	chris@maryland