Well, yes, why optimize when you can make dem plasma in 4k code on your I7?
No, seriously though, I think about how much more powerful the PC CPU is than we think. I can do software rendering on UltraHD for the simple stuff, but it's just compiled C++ code to X86. And still I haven't used multithreading, I didn't thought about using vectorization, I have a plan to try these for some effects. With just single core I7, some pixel effects still run fairly well even in 4k, imagine if I pushed this thing.
I keep thinking it about when I struggle with much older machines, Z80 CPC and I think it's impossible and then I push it, and it can go more and more.
Oneday I thought 386dx is slow sometimes, then I had to struggle with some 3DO ARM 12.5mhz and I had to realize some new ideas for optimization (and still no asm yet, just cleverly optimized C) and I still discovered after years the old effects could be pushed, new interesting ways. So, now going back to 386dx I feel much more confident. Then I imagine what we could do if we push the new machines. Old machines makes you learn to push it.
And I think, what happens with programs and the web for example, which is build upon layers, over layers, over layers, how much cycles per step is wasted. And that's another thing now, I was watching one Jonathan Blow's talk where he lamented about this, I am also inspired by the handmade manifesto thing (
https://killscreen.com/articles/people-trying-save-programming/ ).
Anyway, maybe I just like the feeling of how much more precious are old hardware, what they could do if you programmed them well. When someone has his new android being unresponsive, clicking somewhere and waiting several cycles, and then you tell him CPC 4mhz, he would extrapolate into something where you would type a character and you would wait for 8 minutes to render. But it's not that slow. When I extrapolate what's possible on 8bits from demosceners and thing of my modern PC or even my PC 15 years ago, this is a lot, that gives me thrills of what's possible and how we give some good spirit to these machines with software.
Show Posts
