in reply to Rakudo Star, Red Queen Edition
in thread Hockey Sticks
Do the Rakudo developers deserve applause for running so hard to stay mostly in place {for one year}, Red Queen style? I say no.I actually don't know whether you are right or not about your Red Queen dig, because I have not tried the new compiler. I'd be absolutely stunned if you were right.
The nom branch was started just after the Jan 2011 Rakudo Star. The team is just about to publish the Jan 2012 Rakudo Star, the first using a compiler based on the nom branch you so disparage. If they've been running hard to stay mostly in place, there'll be little difference between the two. Perhaps it'll even have regressed. I'd love to see a serious comparison between the two, so:
I challenge you and the Rakudo team to write dueling comparisons. I think it would only make sense to do so using a powerful, modern machine (loads of RAM, multi-core cpu, fast disk, the works), because the Rakudo team has claimed a lot of speed optimization in the last year, but have voiced concern about its resource usage and have noted that they have not yet done space etc. optimization. However, you are free to stack the odds as you wish.