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I have a 5gig text file that needs to be sorted in alphabetical order
What is the best algorithm to use?
constraints:
Speed – As fast as possible
Memory – A Pc with 1 Gig Ram running windows XP
I routinely sort text files >2GB with the
sortlinux command. Usually takes 15 – 30 seconds, depending on server load.Just do it, it won’t take as long as you think.
Update Since you’re using Windows XP, you can get the sort command in UnxUtils. I use that one probably more than the linux version, and it’s equally as fast.
The bottleneck for huge files really disk speed .. my server above has a fast sata raid. If your machine is a desktop (or laptop), then your 7200 RPM (or 5400) RPM IDE drives will add a few minutes to the job.