[plt-scheme] Eval'ing DrScheme: performance differences under Win32 and Linux

At Sun, 5 Jan 2003 13:22:26 -0500 (EST), Sarino Suon wrote:
> To test its limits,
> I decided to progressively do an EVAL on the drscheme.ss file (after
> modifying it so that it isn't a module.)
> 
> I did it recursively: once a DrScheme environment is created, I use it to
> EVAL another DrScheme environment.
> 
> My question: Under Win2000, I can create more than 7 recursive 
> environments "deep" without any noticeable slowdown. Under Linux (RedHat
> 7.3 using GNOME), however, the first EVAL takes forever to start up,
> and it gets much much slower thereafter.
> 
> 
> What accounts for this difference?

There shouldn't be a difference between Windows and Linux.

I suspect that you don't have the DrScheme sources compiled to .zo form
in your Linux installation, but you do for the Windows installation.

A lack of compiled .zos means that DrScheme will apply debugging
annotations to its own source when it loads itself, and the next
iteration will apply debugging annotations to the debugging annotations
on the source, etc.

If I guess correctly, then running setup-plt for your Linux
installation will remove the difference.

Matthew