I solved a similar problem recently: given a stream of data, how should you choose packet size in an online way to minimize regret (a linear combination of spare capacity of last packet and total packets used).
Turns out doubling isn’t the best strategy. The optimal solution is actually to add a constant increment to packet size. How much depends on relative cost of the terms in the regret function.
Turns out doubling isn’t the best strategy. The optimal solution is actually to add a constant increment to packet size. How much depends on relative cost of the terms in the regret function.