count of bits set in a long

[David Brooks]

In article <37545 at ut-emx.uucp> nwagner at ut-emx.uucp (Neal R. Wagner) writes:
>
>  I need a fast method to count the number of bits that are set in a 32-bit
>integer on a Sun 3/80 running 4.0.3 SunOS.

I wish people who aren't using the net to do their homework, but look
as though they are, would say so.

>Is there a faster way in C?  How close in speed to a hand-coded assembly
>routine would a fast method in C be (after the latter is run through the
>optimizer)?

Well, if you don't restrict youself to the Sun3, I once knew a machine
that could do it in one instruction.  I doubt if any compiler could
compile your code into that.
-- 
David Brooks				dbrooks at osf.org
Systems Engineering, OSF		uunet!osf.org!dbrooks
"A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine, and Six Spades Redoubled -- Omar somebody.