Szklist

Szklist is a term that does not have a single, universally defined meaning. In technical discussions it is sometimes used as a name for a data-structure concept inspired by skip lists, and in other contexts as a placeholder or project name in Polish-language materials.

As a data structure, szklist denotes a probabilistic ordered list that supports efficient search, insertion, and deletion. It uses several levels of linked lists and promotes nodes to higher levels with a fixed probability, yielding expected logarithmic time for basic operations. Compared with balanced trees, szklist can be simpler to implement and may incur less balancing overhead in certain workloads. Typical applications include in-memory indexes, caches, and routing tables where an ordered sequence with fast lookups is advantageous.

Because szklist is not standardized, implementations and exact specifications vary across projects. Parameters such as the probability of promoting a node to a higher level and the maximum level influence performance and memory usage. In educational or illustrative contexts, szklist is often presented as a lightweight alternative to more complex data structures.

Etymology and history are uncertain; the term may be derived from a blend of words found in Polish technical discourse or adopted from the English term "skip list" with local orthographic adaptation. Related concepts include skip lists, linked lists, and other probabilistic data structures.