Re:Ask HN: Why is the hunger for RAM never satisfied?
by prmph on Sunday March 12, 2023 @01:15PM
(#35122901)
Yes, I posted this as part of a comment some time ago:
> Software used by a certain minimum number of users, and software used in certain fields (like medicine, transport, and finance) need to be subjected by regulatory agencies to certain objective (hence automated?) tests to ensure they meet some minimum reliability, usability, security, and performance requirements. In this regime, small-time SaaS software, or hobby projects, would not need any regulation, but flagship software products of Facebook, Google, SAP, Oracle, Tesla, etc would need it.
Seems unlikely, but at some point it might make sense. Of course if the resources (electricity, silicon, etc.) required by developers to implement such efficient code exceeds the estimated savings, then doing it would actually be worse. But think about all the build scripts constantly being invoked, for example. The energy used to develop them must be extremely overshadowed by the energy to execute them.