Re: Compiled format specs in .newsrc.eld?

[Simon Josefsson <jas@extundo.com>]

Jesper Harder <harder@ifa.au.dk> writes:

> I wasn't really sure whether the manual or the code was wrong about saving
> format specs -- I can think of two good reasons for not saving them:
>
> * It doesn't really matter.
> * Byte-code isn't portable between Emacs and XEmacs.

Yup.  Is the manual correct below?  Does Gnus byte-compile
format-specs by default internally?  Perhaps we should remove
gnus-format-specs from gnus-variable-list completely.  If there is no
speed gain in M-x gnus-compile I vote for removing it.

,----
|    If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus
| gets quite slow.  This can be helped enormously by running `M-x
| gnus-compile' when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
| *Note Compilation::.
| ...
| Compilation
| ===========
| 
|    Remember all those line format specification variables?
| `gnus-summary-line-format', `gnus-group-line-format', and so on.  Now,
| Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
| unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
| (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
| associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
| course.)
| 
|    To help with this, you can run `M-x gnus-compile' after you've
| fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
| satisfied.  This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
| you'll get top speed again.  Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
| `.newsrc.eld' file.  (User-defined functions aren't compiled by this
| function, though--you should compile them yourself by sticking them
| into the `.gnus.el' file and byte-compiling that file.)
| 
`----