claude code and friends will make it much easier to rewrite python/js/$memory-hungry code in rust.
and make memory hungry rust code with unsafe everywhere. Way to go!
Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
41–50 of 264 posts
Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#42If that happens, we will see it in triple-A games first. If some new titles have significant lower hardware specs than expected. If buyers can't afford the hardware anymore, the studios need to adjust. It's definitively possible to scale games down a lot. There are a few AAA games that were "dumbed down" for the Switch 1 (Hogwarts, cyberpunk, ...). And that's a really low-spec device. There are two factors: existing…
> There are two factors: existing gamers not able to afford upgrading. But also new gamers, that might only be able to afford much lower spec PCs than people who bought 2 years earlier.
Spot on.
Now with LLMs and desktop app libraries such as Tauri, there is little excuse in choosing Electron to build memory hungry apps other than laziness.
Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#43No. The cost of one programmer’s hour of work compared to the increase in price of RAM is not very big. One is a variable cost one is fixed.
Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#44> will programmers write Who’s going to tell them?
Well, they're asking on Hacker News, so they're probably asking the broader collective, not just (presumptuously) themselves.
Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#45> will programmers write Who’s going to tell them?
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Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#46One can certainly wish, but I am inclined to believe that RAM use isn’t just about sloppy programmers. I think it is, to a significant degree, about the kinds of problems we solve now that we have more RAM.
And not all exorbitant RAM use is about sloppiness. Sometimes you can trade more RAM use for lower complexity. Bugs and development time were expensive. RAM was not. So sometimes there is calculation rather than sloppiness behind certain types of heavy RAM use.
Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#47[dead]
Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#48If that happens, we will see it in triple-A games first. If some new titles have significant lower hardware specs than expected. If buyers can't afford the hardware anymore, the studios need to adjust. It's definitively possible to scale games down a lot. There are a few AAA games that were "dumbed down" for the Switch 1 (Hogwarts, cyberpunk, ...). And that's a really low-spec device. There are two factors: existing…
Are programmers and their use of data structures driving up storage requirements in games though? Or is it just high poly models and high res textures?
I guess it's not just models and textures. Those should be the easiest to dial down, even optionally with a "low" setting. Maybe making high-res assets an optional download, to reduce game size (ssds are also getting expensive)
Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#49If that happens, we will see it in triple-A games first. If some new titles have significant lower hardware specs than expected. If buyers can't afford the hardware anymore, the studios need to adjust. It's definitively possible to scale games down a lot. There are a few AAA games that were "dumbed down" for the Switch 1 (Hogwarts, cyberpunk, ...). And that's a really low-spec device. There are two factors: existing…
> There are two factors: existing gamers not able to afford upgrading. But also new gamers, that might only be able to afford much lower spec PCs than people who bought 2 years earlier. Spot on. Now with LLMs and desktop app libraries such as Tauri, there is little excuse in choosing Electron to build memory hungry apps other than laziness.
Tauri sucks on macOS and especially Linux, because the native browsers are a huge issue. Tauri/Windows uses a recent Chromium engine, which is fine.
Re: Ask HN: Will programmers write more efficient code during the memory shortage?
#50Algorithms and data structures aren't the problem, bundling Chromium to make a chat app is the problem.
I think Rust's rise in popularity will probably lead to some benefits.
Games will probably get more efficient but they're easier to scale down to the memory that's available.