C programming tricks

While programming optimization that makes ones' code completely unreadable is often a bad thing, there are places for it, like that one inner loop of your code that takes up 98% of the program's running time.

What are you tricks for improving performance in C, other than the obvious inline assembly or the like?

>>22

The problem with this is that faster hardware gives everyone an edge.  When you're competing against other video encoders from other companies and organizations, what matters is your speed and/or quality edge over theirs.  Since faster hardware speeds up everyone, it doesn't help one compete :)