Re:Things I Learnt from a Senior Software Engineer
by username90 on Monday August 26, 2019 @08:06AM
(#20799108)
Branch prediction is a very good optimization though, you'd lose quite a lot if you forbade people from using it.
Re:Things I Learnt from a Senior Software Engineer
by teddyh on Monday August 26, 2019 @03:04PM
(#20802688)
> you'd lose quite a lot if you forbade people from using it.
We do forbid it, though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anti-discrimination_ac...
It seems that we have decided as a society that we gain more from the cumulative effect of all people gaining a equal and fair chance, than we would save by allowing people to use whatever branch predictors they like.
It looks like branch predictors in general tend to have unforeseen problems; see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectre_(security_vulnerabilit...
They key word there is “tend”. Since it’s not an absolute, it would be unfair and ultimately disadvantageous of anyone to pre-judge individual people based on their name, since it is not a guarantee.