IndieGoGo & The Big Compiler Lock
My SBCL crowdfunding
at IndieGoGo has continued to be successful beyond my wildest
expectations: it has reached $12k funding so far, which means that Madeira has
been fully funded in addition to the earlier SBCL specific goals.
This lead me to a bit of a conundrum. Should I add another goal and
try for more funding while there's time left in the campaign (can't
adjust the duration after the fact), or leave more than good enough
alone? At the end, since I lit upon a good goal that fits well with
the previous ones, I opted to add it and see if I could reach all the
way to the moon...
If funding reaches $16k, that will be enough to allow us to kiss the big
compiler lock goodbye.
What is the big compiler lock? SBCL grabs a lock when it compiles
anything. The same lock is also used for some non-compiler activities
like modifying the class graph. This lock prevents parallel
compilation. Even if you don't care about parallel compilation as
such, there are other unfortunate consequences: CLOS dispatch (before
caches settle down) can involve compiling code. Most of the time BCL
is a tiny annoyance, but sometimes it can be a real headache.
If $16k is not reached, any monies over $12k will be split between
general SBCL work and work leading to curtailing the effects of the
big compiler lock. (Eg. making CLOS dispatch optionally work without
the compiler.)
Finally, a big Thank You to all contributors.
Syndicated 2011-08-27 10:45:24 from Nikodemus Siivola