Algorithms and Data Structures

This is a collection of implementations of standard algorithms and data structures taught at introductory CS courses.

The following principles guided our implementation:

Maximize comprehensibility.
Name as many concepts explicitly as possible.
Do not abbreviate variable or method names.
Do not use comments to explain what the code does or how. This is better done in source code by choosing intent-revealing names and appropriate structures. Use comments to explain why a specific implementation was used.
Provide an extensive set of regression tests, preferably by employing Test-Driven Development.
Favor objects over primitive data types, e.g. use Integer instead of int and use List instead of bare arrays.
Minimize duplication.
Program defensively; the environment may try to corrupt our code. Prevent problems by checking parameters and giving meaningful exception descriptions.
We try to provide a self-contained code base. Because this is intended for programming novices, we strive for minimizing dependencies to any libraries, be it the language SDK or especially third-party libraries.
Maximizing comprehensibility requires trading performance and/or memory requirements sometimes.

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