[taneq]

It does not. I said (emphasis added):

> you're almost certainly wasting your time compared with more effective optimization methods

Some rare cases absolutely do exist where specific micro-optimizations such as these may be useful - I'm not arguing that they don't.

Even in those cases, though, you're far more likely to achieve significant performance gains by taking a step back and re-examining your high level goals and your approach to the problem.

I'm not saying that eliminating a branch or two is never going to be useful. I'm just saying you should focus your attention elsewhere first.