I'd be happy to explain the benchmark being tested on MeasureThat.net.

Overview

The benchmark is designed to test the performance of two JavaScript functions, a and b, in different scenarios. The benchmark is prepared by providing the script preparation code and HTML preparation code (which is empty in this case).

Script Preparation Code

The script preparation code defines two global variables: global and its value e. Function a takes an optional argument e (defaulting to 1) and assigns its square to global. Function b also takes an optional argument e (defaulting to 1) and, if e is falsy, sets e to 1. Then, both functions assign the squared value of e to global.

Options Compared

There are two options being compared:

1. Option 1: a(undefined) This option tests function a with an undefined argument.
2. Option 2: b(undefined) This option tests function b with an undefined argument.

Pros and Cons of Different Approaches

• For Option 1 (a(undefined)):
  • Pros:
    • Tests the behavior of a when called with an undefined value.
    • Helps identify potential issues with optional arguments or default values.
  • Cons:
    • May not be a representative test for a in general, as it only tests one specific scenario.
• For Option 2 (b(undefined)):
  • Pros:
    • Tests the behavior of b when called with an undefined value, which can help identify issues related to optional arguments or default values.
  • Cons:
    • May not be representative of typical usage of b, as it only tests one specific scenario.

Library Usage

There is no explicit library mentioned in the script preparation code. However, some browsers may use built-in libraries for JavaScript functions like Math.pow() (used implicitly in e ** 2).

Special JS Feature or Syntax

None are explicitly mentioned in this benchmark.

Other Alternatives

If MeasureThat.net were to add more alternatives, they might consider options like:

• Using different data types (e.g., numbers, strings, objects) as arguments.
• Testing functions with and without optional arguments.
• Evaluating the performance of a and b in different environments (e.g., Node.js, browser).

Please note that these additional alternatives would require modifications to the script preparation code and test cases.