IndieGoGo & The Big Compiler Lock #
hacking, August 27th 2011
My SBCL crowdfunding at IndieGoGo has continued to be successful beyond my wildest expectations: it has reached $12k funding so far, which means that Madeira has been fully funded in addition to the earlier SBCL specific goals.
This lead me to a bit of a conundrum. Should I add another goal and try for more funding while there's time left in the campaign (can't adjust the duration after the fact), or leave more than good enough alone? At the end, since I lit upon a good goal that fits well with the previous ones, I opted to add it and see if I could reach all the way to the moon...
If funding reaches $16k, that will be enough to allow us to kiss the big compiler lock goodbye.
What is the big compiler lock? SBCL grabs a lock when it compiles anything. The same lock is also used for some non-compiler activities like modifying the class graph. This lock prevents parallel compilation. Even if you don't care about parallel compilation as such, there are other unfortunate consequences: CLOS dispatch (before caches settle down) can involve compiling code. Most of the time BCL is a tiny annoyance, but sometimes it can be a real headache. Sometimes it is an insurmountable barrier.
If $16k is not reached, any monies over $12k will be split between general SBCL work and work leading to curtailing the effects of the big compiler lock. (Eg. making CLOS dispatch optionally work without the compiler.)
Finally, a big Thank You to all contributors.