why so many kill-all-local-variables

why so many kill-all-local-variables

[Wes Hardaker]

I have a annoyingly slow machine at work (ok, its not that bad, but
its not great).  So I decided to see what profiling gave me...

Not surprisingly, searching came out high on top (no surprise), but
garbage collection and kill-all-local-variables dominated the scene.
This made me wonder why killing the local variables was needed so
much?  I would think that you merely add to them or don't?  I'm
wondering if this is a major source of the garbage collection that is
taking place (doubt it) and if they can be reduced?

Function Name                                       Ticks    %/Total   Call Count
================================================    =====    =======   ==========
(in garbage collection)                             3412     52.760    
kill-all-local-variables                            293      4.531     1824
re-search-forward                                   248      3.835     35824
get-buffer-create                                   192      2.969     3640

Function Name                                       Ticks    %/Total   Call Count
================================================    =====    =======   ==========
(in garbage collection)                             2505     53.434    
kill-all-local-variables                            222      4.735     1366
re-search-forward                                   178      3.797     26614
get-buffer-create                                   140      2.986     2716

Function Name                                       Ticks    %/Total   Call Count
================================================    =====    =======   ==========
(in garbage collection)                             3412     53.014    
kill-all-local-variables                            293      4.553     1824
re-search-forward                                   248      3.853     35822
get-buffer-create                                   191      2.968     3629

-- 
"Ninjas aren't dangerous.  They're more afraid of you than you are of them."

Re: why so many kill-all-local-variables

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Wes Hardaker <wjhardaker@ucdavis.edu> writes:

> Not surprisingly, searching came out high on top (no surprise), but
> garbage collection and kill-all-local-variables dominated the scene.
> This made me wonder why killing the local variables was needed so
> much?  I would think that you merely add to them or don't?  I'm
> wondering if this is a major source of the garbage collection that is
> taking place (doubt it) and if they can be reduced?

[...]

> kill-all-local-variables                            293      4.531     1824

This function should normally only be called when a new major mode is
instated, but I guess you don't have 1824 different buffers, huh?

Is it Gnus that's calling this function all the time?

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: why so many kill-all-local-variables

[Wes Hardaker]

>>>>> On 27 Aug 1999 23:38:17 +0200, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> said:

Lars> Wes Hardaker <wjhardaker@ucdavis.edu> writes:
>> Not surprisingly, searching came out high on top (no surprise), but
>> garbage collection and kill-all-local-variables dominated the scene.
>> This made me wonder why killing the local variables was needed so
>> much?  I would think that you merely add to them or don't?  I'm
>> wondering if this is a major source of the garbage collection that is
>> taking place (doubt it) and if they can be reduced?

Lars> [...]

>> kill-all-local-variables                            293      4.531     1824

Lars> This function should normally only be called when a new major mode is
Lars> instated, but I guess you don't have 1824 different buffers, huh?

Lars> Is it Gnus that's calling this function all the time?

Why is it needed at the beginning of a major mode?  Why kill all the
local variables?  Aren't you doing it from new buffers 99% of the
time?

(and, no, I don't, of course)

-- 
"Ninjas aren't dangerous.  They're more afraid of you than you are of them."

Re: why so many kill-all-local-variables

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Wes Hardaker <wjhardaker@ucdavis.edu> writes:

> Why is it needed at the beginning of a major mode?  Why kill all the
> local variables?  Aren't you doing it from new buffers 99% of the
> time?

Urm; I don't quite know.  It's documented somewhere that all major
modes should call that function.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen