# Re: How to speed up ruby and make it as fast as possible **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [July 14, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458 "2006-07-14T21:10:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/1 "2006-07-14T21:10:12Z")
You are mistaken. Current, stable Perl and Python releases typically execute programs much faster than Ruby. I suspected such rationalizing and hostile replies in my initial post. Jamal ---
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/2 "2006-07-14T21:43:31Z")
From: “Jamal M.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > You are mistaken. Current, stable Perl and Python releases typically > execute programs much faster than Ruby. I suspected such rationalizing > and hostile replies in my initial post. I’m jumping into the middle of the thread, but, I do believe you’re missing a few important points. 1. Most of us are already aware of ruby’s speed. 2. Probably anyone here will agree with the idea that it would be _nice_ for ruby to be faster, provided we don’t have to change the language to get the speed. Did I leave anything out? As I mentioned, ruby is _already_ fast enough for some applications, and _will never be_ fast enough for others. Regards, Bill ---
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/3 "2006-07-14T22:03:26Z")
There are certain sore spots in language discussions which tend to get feathers ruffled. Seeing this thread has garnered so many replies in such short time uncovers a sore spot in Ruby language discussion. Ruby tends to be slower than other similar interpreted scripting languages. Although some folks won’t admit it as a broad generalization this assertion tends to be stereotypically correct. Every language has its sore spot. For Python try bringing up significant whitepace or passing the understood ‘self’ around each and every method. For Java try bringing up the truth of ‘write once run everyone’ or mixing primitives in with objects for a supposedly OO language. For Perl try bringing up cryptic lack of readibility and “bolted on” version updates. For PHP try bringing up secure coding practices. And so on… ---
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/4 "2006-07-14T22:07:16Z")
Bill K. wrote: > Did I leave anything out? Just because you asked: yes. > As I mentioned, ruby is _already_ fast enough for some > applications, and _will never be_ fast enough for others. There would be even more applications ruby would be fast enough for if ruby would just be a little bit faster. I don’t get the problem with someone who wishes ruby to be even better (yes, that means faster this time, performance is one quality of software, along with a lot of others) than it already is. > Regards, > > Bill cheers Simon ---
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/5 "2006-07-14T22:24:22Z")
Jeremy T. wrote: > Instead of bitching about these things Someone asked: “Is there a ruby configuration file that I can change to help speed ruby up and take as much resources as it needs?” The answer is probably: no. But we have a holy war here. I don’t get it. cheers Simon ---
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/6 "2006-07-14T22:31:49Z")
From: “Simon Kröger” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > enough for if ruby would just be a little bit faster. > Yes… but the reason I stated it in terms of limits, > was to show that what you’re saying will always be true. No matter how fast ruby gets, there will always be even more applications ruby would be fast enough for if ruby would just be a little bit faster. (Although, as programmers, we are very very used to needing to optimize our software to be just a little bit faster in any language… So if software is ‘almost’ fast enough to work in ruby, usually we do the same thing in ruby that we would do in C or Java, etc… find a way to optimize it to be ‘fast enough’.) > I don’t get the problem with someone who wishes ruby to > be even better (yes, that means faster this time, performance > is one quality of software, along with a lot of others) > than it already is. I don’t see a problem with wishing ruby were better or faster, either. Believe me… I do an awful lot of wishing that I could write a whole 3D game in ruby. I’m wishing that most every day… But in practical terms, there will almost certainly always be some set of applications too demanding to be written in 100% ruby. So… ? a. Who thinks it would be nice if ruby were faster? (Whole room raises hands.) b. Who can estimate, based on progress with YARV, and historical speed gains of Smalltalk VM’s, how much faster ruby is likely to _ever_ get, compared to its current performance? (2x? 4x? 8x? …?) c. Who has anything new to add that would help the folks already working on making ruby faster? Regards, Bill ---
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/7 "2006-07-14T22:41:57Z")
From: “Simon Kröger” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > But we have a holy war here. > > I don’t get it. It’s not a holy war. It’s a spectrum of facts and wishes and theoretical limitations and human resources. Regards, Bill ---
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/8 "2006-07-14T22:57:51Z")
Bill K. wrote: > > There would be even more applications ruby would be fast > > enough for if ruby would just be a little bit faster. > > Yes… but the reason I stated it in terms of limits, > was to show that what you’re saying will always be true. Agreed. > > I don’t get the problem with someone who wishes ruby to > > be even better (yes, that means faster this time, performance > > is one quality of software, along with a lot of others) > > than it already is. > > I don’t see a problem with wishing ruby were better or > faster, either. Believe me… I do an awful lot of > wishing that I could write a whole 3D game in ruby. > I’m wishing that most every day… I just don’t like if someone gets lapidated for saying so. > But in practical terms, there will almost certainly > always be some set of applications too demanding to > be written in 100% ruby. True, no one was questioning that. Let’s write some code, I’m better writing ruby than doing smalltalk (erm, well you know what i mean) cheers Simon ---
**Author:** ![jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@jamal86](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal86)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-how-to-speed-up-ruby-and-make-it-as-fast-as-possible/98458/9 "2006-07-14T22:14:39Z")
On 14-Jul-06, at 4:04 PM, Simon\_Kröger wrote: > Bill K. wrote: > > > As I mentioned, ruby is _already_ fast enough for some > > applications, and _will never be_ fast enough for others. > > There would be even more applications ruby would be fast > enough for if ruby would just be a little bit faster. That’s like saying if the moon was closer to the earth, the tides would be higher… no shit. > I don’t get the problem with someone who wishes ruby to > be even better (yes, that means faster this time, performance > is one quality of software, along with a lot of others) > than it already is. Here’s a novel idea, and please forgive the attitude I must be coming across with, it’s not my intent: Instead of bitching about these things endlessly on the mailing list, how about those who find it terribly important that it [ruby] be fast enough for them, work on making it fast enough for them. Rest assured, nobody else is going to do it for you unless it serves them as well or they’re being paid. > Simon – Jeremy T. removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid “One serious obstacle to the adoption of good programming languages is the notion that everything has to be sacrificed for speed. In computer languages as in life, speed kills.” – Mike Vanier