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The Mature Optimization Handbook
The trickiest part of speeding up a program is not doing it, but deciding whether it’s worth doing at all. There are few clear principles, only rules of thumb.
Part of the problem is that optimization is hard to do well. It’s frighteningly easy to devolve into superstitious ritual and rationalization. Then again, there can be big payoffs hidden in surprising places. That’s why expert advice about performance tends to have a gnomic, self-contradictory flavor: “If you don’t know what you are doing, don’t do it! You’ll know if you know what you are doing. And remember to design your programs for performance.” The experts are acutely worried about encouraging more folly, yet can’t quite bring themselves to ignore the possible gains.
Part of the problem is that optimization is hard to do well. It’s frighteningly easy to devolve into superstitious ritual and rationalization. Then again, there can be big payoffs hidden in surprising places. That’s why expert advice about performance tends to have a gnomic, self-contradictory flavor: “If you don’t know what you are doing, don’t do it! You’ll know if you know what you are doing. And remember to design your programs for performance.” The experts are acutely worried about encouraging more folly, yet can’t quite bring themselves to ignore the possible gains.
89 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 12, 2020
Moved to gwern.net.
October 28, 2014
It's TOTALLY AWESOME. Full of condensed advice not only on optimization, but of general common sense. Well, in some sense everything can be thought of as an optimization problem...
November 1, 2014
Good breadth and adequate depth.
The book covers many aspects about optimizing software infrastructure, when it doesn't dig deep it points to where the reader could find more information.
There are success stories, but also the failures before the successes.
The book covers many aspects about optimizing software infrastructure, when it doesn't dig deep it points to where the reader could find more information.
There are success stories, but also the failures before the successes.
March 19, 2014
Loved it. Clear, concise tips on how to get up and running with both measuring and optimising your application(s)
September 19, 2014
As for such a good book the lack of pages (only 85) is plain obvious.
June 25, 2015
A short and concise handbook on some optimization escenarios that happen to Carlos on their projects (included Facebook)
May 10, 2016
* It’s easy to fall in love with numbers that seem to agree with you
http://carlos.bueno.org/optimization/...
http://carlos.bueno.org/optimization/...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews