Regarding the if/elsif/else comments: I agree. When coding in ASM and 'C', I would always put the highest frequency items first in the chain for performance reasons. It just seems logical that it would apply to any language.

Also, a long time ago, I found that there was a sort of critical mass, if you will, at which point one method was faster than the other. Below that point if/else or cmp/jne etc. was the way to go, the methods were comparable at or near that point, and switch case/jump table was to prefered method over that critical mass.

Now, things have changed, compilers and processors, so I don't know how much that holds true today. I don't write drivers any more so I just don't think about it ;-)