Kuan-Wei Chiu 4e0a15f8b4 lib/sort: clarify comparison function requirements in sort_r() ...

Patch series "lib: clarify comparison function requirements", v2.

Add a detailed explanation in the sort_r/list_sort kernel doc comment
specifying that the comparison function must satisfy antisymmetry and
transitivity.  These properties are essential for the sorting algorithm to
produce correct results.

Issues have arisen in the past [1][2][3][4] where comparison functions
violated the transitivity property, causing sorting algorithms to fail to
correctly order elements.  While these requirements may seem
straightforward, they are commonly misunderstood or overlooked, leading to
bugs.  Highlighting these properties in the documentation will help
prevent such mistakes in the future.

Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20240701205639.117194-1-visitorckw@gmail.com [1]
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20241203202228.1274403-1-visitorckw@gmail.com [2]
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20241209134226.1939163-1-visitorckw@gmail.com [3]
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20241209145728.1975311-1-visitorckw@gmail.com [4]


This patch (of 2):

Add a detailed explanation in the sort_r() kernel doc comment specifying
that the comparison function must satisfy antisymmetry and transitivity. 
These properties are essential for the sorting algorithm to produce
correct results.

Issues have arisen in the past [1][2][3][4] where comparison functions
violated the transitivity property, causing sorting algorithms to fail to
correctly order elements.  While these requirements may seem
straightforward, they are commonly misunderstood or overlooked, leading to
bugs.  Highlighting these properties in the documentation will help
prevent such mistakes in the future.

Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/20250106170104.3137845-1-visitorckw@gmail.com
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20240701205639.117194-1-visitorckw@gmail.com [1]
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20241203202228.1274403-1-visitorckw@gmail.com [2]
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20241209134226.1939163-1-visitorckw@gmail.com [3]
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20241209145728.1975311-1-visitorckw@gmail.com [4]
Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/20250106170104.3137845-2-visitorckw@gmail.com
Signed-off-by: Kuan-Wei Chiu <visitorckw@gmail.com>
Cc: Ching-Chun (Jim) Huang <jserv@ccns.ncku.edu.tw>
Cc: <chuang@cs.nycu.edu.tw>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>

2025-01-24 22:47:23 -08:00

9.6 KiB

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