Re: [9fans] Modern development language for Plan 9, WAS: Re: RESOLVED: recoving important header file rudely

["Devon H. O'Dell" <devon.odell@gmail.com>]

2011/2/18 erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net>:
>> Arguing that performance is unimportant is counterintuitive. It
>> certainly is. Arguing that it is unimportant if it causes unnecessary
>> complexity has merit. Defining when things become "unnecessarily
>> complex" is important to the argument. Applications with timers (or
>> doing lots of logging) using gettimeofday(2) being instantaneously
>> improved by *very* measurable amounts due to such changes seems like a
>> good idea to me, and it doesn't seem too complex. Doing it for
>> getpid(2) seems pretty dumb.
>
> i take a different view of performance.
>
> performance is like scotch.  you always want better scotch,
> but you only upgrade if the stuff you're drinking is a problem.

I really like this viewpoint. Unfortunately in software engineering,
we are more the creators and purveyors of scotch, and our customers
constantly request better scotch. Sometimes you have to say "live with
it" -- but sometimes you really do need to upgrade what you are
providing.

I'd like to think my viewpoint maps equally well to libations. A good
wine matures with age, becoming ever more complex in flavor. If you
don't keep it right, that complexity turns right into vinegar. :)

I agree with your point. At the same time, we have large customers who
constantly push the limits of our mail server, and they have extremely
good performance with it. Likely better than they can get with any
competitor's implementation. If you ask an ISP or large social network
if they would like to do more with less, then answer will always be
"yes." Ergo there is always a perceived problem -- even if you're the
de-facto leader in your industry.

I'd be surprised if things were dissimilar for you at Coraid -- and I
certainly *am not* implying that you guys have poor performance. I'm
just saying if you went to your customers and asked, "Given the choice
between something that is the same as what you have now, and something
that's faster, and both have the same reliability, which do you want?"
you probably wouldn't have many people who wouldn't take advantage of
improved performance.

--dho

> - erik
>
>