[Caml-list] More efficient compilation of functors? (was: Wrapping up the Set module in another)

[Alain Frisch <alain@frisch.fr>]

On 4/3/2014 4:28 PM, Leo White wrote:
> The main additional cost would come from calling `Set.Make` in
> `set_of_list` and creating new modules in `set_of_list` and `insert`.
> `Set.Make` has to create a lot of closures which capture the `compare`
> function. I think these closures are all allocated at once, but this
> still means a lot of assignments. Creating the new modules is a record
> allocation and assignment of all the record fields.

I'm wondering whether an alternative compilation scheme could make 
functor instantiation much faster.  Instead of having individual 
closures for all (non-closed) functions the functor exports, one could 
create a single big closure representing all functions at once.  It 
would typically contain the functor's argument itself, plus other non 
functional values computed during the functor's body initialization (or 
maybe one could even keep a reference to the block representing the 
functor's result).  The closure would be allocated at the beginning 
(with dummy values) and filled along the evaluation of the body.


-- Alain