Lichess gets a big upgrade. It doesn't go as planned (lichess.org)

Article summary

The article discusses the migration of Lichess, a chess website, from Scala 2 to Scala 3. The migration was expected to be difficult due to the size of the codebase, but it was completed in a month with few issues. The author highlights the new features of Scala 3, such as opaque types and improved type inference, and notes that the migration to Scala 3 required some JVM tuning. The website is now running faster than before, but it's unclear whether this is due to Scala 3 itself or the JVM tuning.

Main themes

• Scala 3 migration
• JVM tuning
• Performance optimization
• Programming language choice
• Runtime complexity
• Java design decisions
• Customizability vs ease of use

What commenters say

• The JVM requires significant tuning for optimal performance, which can be complex and time-consuming.
• Some commenters believe that the JVM's need for tuning is a weakness, while others see it as a strength that allows for fine-grained control.
• The choice of programming language and runtime can have a significant impact on performance and development productivity.
• Go is mentioned as an alternative language that may require less tuning and have better performance out of the box.
• The complexity of the JVM is both a benefit and a drawback, allowing for customization but also requiring expertise to manage.
• Some commenters disagree on the design decisions made in Java, with some seeing them as failed experiments and others as successful innovations.
• The need for tuning and customization can be seen as a necessary evil for achieving high performance in certain applications.
• The trade-off between ease of use and customizability is a key consideration when choosing a programming language and runtime.