[REBOL] Re: (for Carl :-) Re: Re: SHEEP vs Rebol
From: greggirwin:mindspring at: 13-Oct-2001 16:15
Hi Pekr,
<< Imagine Sheep tree example, interpreted in Rebol,it would be probably XX
times slower ...>>
I converted the script (appending line points to an images draw effect,
refreshing the screen only when done, not worrying about how to optimize the
REBOL code), and here's what I got on my P900:
First run: ~4.5 seconds (and massive amounts of memory is allocated because
the draw effect started out empty)
Successive runs: ~.5 seconds (and memory is reclaimed)
Refreshing the screen at each iteration, of course, slows things to a crawl
but is more fun to watch. :)
I agree with everyone who wants REBOL to be the best, fastest, safest, most
productive development tool out there, but I think we also need to temper
our hopes and expectations and find ways to do what we want and not use
REBOL for those apps where REBOL *isn't* the best choice. Personally, I
would love to have a single development tool that I could use for every
project, and was the best tool for every project, but that isn't always
feasible.
I imagine that RT is making hard choices every day about where to expend
their efforts in an attempt to make REBOL a success. They'll look at what
the market demands, what limits we push in using it, and what we ask for
here on the ML.
I've used VB for 10 years, and QB/PDS before that. I think it's a great tool
and I love as many things as I hate about what it has become. I use it for
all kinds of things, but it isn't always the right tool. If someone has low
memory requirements, for example, or where a completely self-contained
deployment package is desired. Some of its limitations come from Windows
itself. For years it didn't have a native code compiler but could work
around that by building DLLs and linking to them. Not a perfect solution,
but a solution none-the-less.
When VB first came out, it was an uphill battle to convince people that it
was a viable alternative. Their trump card, if they were against it, was
Won't the app be slower than if we wrote it in C?
to which I would reply
Actually, the VB app will be a lot faster...probably 6 to 8 weeks faster.
:)
--Gregg
