9 Feb
2015
9 Feb
'15
11:41 a.m.
On 02/09/2015 11:00 AM, Peter Corlett wrote:
JOOI, why was there such a need to sort large datasets
back in the mainframe
era?
Knuth's book's title gives a hint. He called it "Searching and
Sorting". The two go hand in hand.
I think the simple answer is that it's easier to search sorted data,
particularly when said data is offline--i.e. hanging in a slot in a tape
rack, or in a drawer in a card cabinet. Nowadays, when everything can
be kept online, it's probably less important than it used to be.
--Chuck