Re: Gimme speed
@tfb optimization has always been a problem. We had a demo mainframe delivered and the sales guy gave us a tape with source code for our VAX cluster. He told us how wonderful his mainframe was, and how fast. We should compile the code with all optimization on the VAX and let it run and run the same code on his mainframe. We should call him back in a week, once the mainframe was finished, the VAX would need a month!
There was a note waiting for him by the time he had returned to the office (those were the days before mobile phones). The VAX was finished.
It had taken the source code, analysed it and came to the conclusions: No input, a lot of calculations, no output = nothing to do. The program created a huge multi-dimensional array, filled it with random numbers, performed some calculations on the random numbers and dumped the array, when it was finished. The mainfram dutifully compiled it and executed it, the VAX made a small .exe that finished in a fraction of a second.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
