←back to thread

Caching is an abstraction, not an optimization

(buttondown.com)
134 points samuel246 | 1 comments | 01 Jul 25 10:42 UTC | HN request time: 0.676s | source
Show context
ckdot2 ◴[03 Jul 25 19:03 UTC] No.44458190[source]▶
"I think now caching is probably best understood as a tool for making software simpler" - that's cute. Caching might be beneficial for many cases, but if it doesn't do one thing then this is simplifying software. There's that famous quote "There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things.", and, sure, it's a bit ironical, but there's some truth in there.
replies(11): >>44458265 #>>44458365 #>>44458502 #>>44459091 #>>44459123 #>>44459372 #>>44459490 #>>44459654 #>>44459905 #>>44460039 #>>44460321 #
whateveracct ◴[03 Jul 25 19:24 UTC] No.44458365[source]▶
caching often does simplify software though when done well

and - as the OP suggests - it works best when the cache is a well-defined abstraction with properties and rules about how it works

just because "caching" is mentioned in a meme doesn't mean it can't be true that it can simplify software

replies(7): >>44458520 #>>44458529 #>>44458670 #>>44458723 #>>44458778 #>>44458835 #>>44460773 #
1. PaulHoule ◴[03 Jul 25 19:43 UTC] No.44458529[source]▶
Trying some other way to explicitly manage multiple storage tiers could get pretty complicated.