> > the main argument is optimizing for pentium ONLY helps the original > pentium, not any other chip (including PII, PIII etc) and for the > majority of software the optimization is so negligible that it is not > worth bloating the archive further with it. (debian is already HUGE) >
to put it simply, the bigger machines simply dont gain much from the special compilation. So we add even more packages, which only some people can use, and for very little gain. As the original reply says, look in the archives, this was hasked out in the past. Distributions that claim speed gains are for the most part using skewed metrics. If you have a specific package that needs optimizing, apt-get source <package>, edit the debian/rules file to add whatever compiler options you want, and recompile. For the few applications that benefit, everyone wins if the individual would handle their own special cases. Remember for CPU opts to help, the app must spend most of its time in CPU cycles -- think number crunchers.
