←back to thread

Improving performance of rav1d video decoder

(ohadravid.github.io)
305 points todsacerdoti | 2 comments | 22 May 25 11:59 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
mdf ◴[22 May 25 14:01 UTC] No.44062156[source]▶
There's something about real optimization stories that I find fascinating – particularly the detailed ones including step-by-step improvements and profiling to show how numbers got better. In some way, they are satisfying to read.

Nicholas Nethercote's "How to speed up the Rust compiler" writings[1] fall into this same category for me.

Any others?

[1] https://nnethercote.github.io/

replies(5): >>44062243 #>>44064519 #>>44064811 #>>44064856 #>>44065073 #
Voultapher ◴[22 May 25 18:01 UTC] No.44064811[source]▶
Since you seem to enjoy this kind of writing I'd love to get your feedback on something I've written a while back about branchless partitioning [1]. Despite it being content wise the most work to create of the things I've written about the topic, it found much less attention than other things I've written. So far I've wondered if it was maybe too technical? Would love to get an honest opinion.

[1] https://github.com/Voultapher/sort-research-rs/blob/main/wri...

replies(1): >>44075091 #
1. mdf ◴[23 May 25 18:12 UTC] No.44075091[source]▶
Just finished reading your linked article. I found it interesting and I experienced similar excitement from the results as mentioned up-thread. There were some new things I learned, too.

I wouldn't say your article is too technical; it does go a bit deeper into details, but new concepts are explained well and at a level I found suitable for myself. Having said that, several times I felt that the text was a bit verbose. Using more succinct phrasing needs, of course, a lot of additional effort, but… I guess it's a kind of an optimization as well. :)

replies(1): >>44082158 #
2. Voultapher ◴[24 May 25 16:39 UTC] No.44082158[source]▶
Thx for taking the time and glad to hear you enjoyed it. I keep being impressed by people like Cory Doctorow that can express nearly every sentence they write extremely succinctly and on the point. That's something I aspire to, so hopefully next time I'm a little better at it :)