avgtime - Small D util for your everyday benchmarking needs

[Manfred Nowak]

Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:

> Wait, doesn't a benchmark always measure an algorithm with the same 
> input?

The fact that you formulate as a question indicates that you are unsure 
about the wright answer---me too, but

1)
surely one can define a benchmark to have this property. But if one 
uses this definition, the used input would belong to the benchmark as a 
description. I have never seen a description of a benchmark including 
the input, but because I am more interested in theory I may have simply 
missed such descriptions.

2)
if a probilistic algorithms is used, the meaning of input becomes 
unclear, because the state of the machine influences T.

3)
if a heuristic is used by the benchmarked algorithm, then a made up 
family of benchmarks can "prove" T= O(n*n) for quick sort.

-manfred