Version 4

Multi-threaded approach

Author: 68412542+EagleAglow@users.noreply.github.com

entries/bfire/README.md

@@ -50,10 +50,19 @@ Second version uses hash of station name to accumulate data and fill a TStringLi
 The list is initially unsorted and has linked objects for records holding accumulated data for each station.
 Finally, the TStringList is sorted and used to output sorted data.
 
+Third version has a thread for the console (which waits for tabulation, then sorts and writes results),
+one thread to read file, four threads to tabulate stations (split by section of alphabet). File is read
+byte-wise into "classic" byte arrays for station name and temperature. The arrays are passed to one of
+four stacks, split by section of alphabet, for tabulation. Tabulation threads hash station name, use hash
+as index into a data array.  After all data is read and tabulated, the four data arrays are added to an
+initially unsorted TStringList that holds unsorted Unicode station name and has linked pointers to
+tabulated data for each station.  Finally, the TStringList is sorted, and the data is output.
+
 ## History
 
 - Version 1.0: first working version, based on TStringList.
 - Version 1.1: modified rounding to new baseline.
 - Version 2.0: use hashing, sort later.
 - Version 2.1: minor speed tweaks.
 - Version 2.2: try hash functions modification.
+- Version 3.0: Six threads: one to read, four to tabulate, one (console) to rule them all...