On Jan 31, 2012, at 3:17 PM, Andrey Semashev wrote:
On Tuesday, January 31, 2012 20:06:23 Daniel James wrote:
From libc++:
template <> struct _LIBCPP_VISIBLE hash<int>
: public unary_function<int, size_t>
{ _LIBCPP_INLINE_VISIBILITY size_t operator()(int __v) const _NOEXCEPT {return static_cast<size_t>(__v);} };
Last time I tried it, libstdc++ was similar.
Too bad. I really hope these libraries will get improved eventually. Otherwise, std::hash is useless aside from std::unordered* containers.
You've alluded to the crux of the issue: Is std::hash<scalar> a general purpose hash function? Or is it the best default hash function for the std::unordered containers implemented in this same library? The standard is silent on this question. A good general purpose std::hash<scalar> will be more expensive, but will likely work well in any application. A std::hash<scalar> optimized to work with the std::unordered containers will take advantage of knowing the details of those containers, and can be made faster than a general purpose hash function. As a judgement call, I calculated that I would have *many* more clients who are casual users of the std::unordered containers, defaulting most options such as the hash function, than I would have clients interested in using std::hash<scalar> in their own containers, or in other places a hash function might be useful. So I stand by the current implementation of std::hash<int> in libc++ as that which will give the vast majority of my clients the highest quality possible. libc++ currently contains both CityHash and murmur2 as well (the former explicitly contributed by Google and properly credited in the CREDITS.TXT file in the libc++ root). And these are chosen for some of the other scalars and in some other situations. The current hash<int> isn't a product of ignorance or laziness on this subject. It is a carefully chosen solution based on the assumption that the main purpose of std::hash<int> is to serve as a good default for the std::unordered containers. Implications of that assumption: If you're in need of a hash function for some need other than a good match for the std::unordered containers, std::hash may not be the solution you're looking for. The only std::solutions I'm aware of that might come close to fitting such a need are found in <random>. Non-portable solutions may be found in individual std::lib implementations such as libc++ by searching for things like "cityhash" or "murmur2". Howard