Re: Why is guile still so slow?

[Andy Wingo]

Hi John,

Some notes.

1. Speed is always relative.  Guile is faster than CPython or MRI.  It
is slower than V8.  Implementations can't be slow or fast; they can only
be slower than X or faster than Y.

2. Widespread Ruby usage proves that speed is not the most important
thing.  V8 proves that "slow languages" can be made fast.  Things
change; focus on expressiveness and what you want to do.

3. The benchmarks you mention are old.  Guile has improved since then.

5. Benchmark speed is but one kind of speed.  There are others:  startup
time, development time, etc.

4. Guile is slower than Ikarus because Guile compiles to bytecode, and
Ikarus to native code.  Native code will come at some point, but don't
hold your breath.

Finally, on the meta-level, you appear to be suffering from
market-induced anxiety.  If you prefer another implementation or
language, by all means, go and use it.  But if you prefer Guile, don't
worry about the others.  Problems get fixed over time with hacking.

Regards,

Andy
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