Well ... first, document where Tcl code is causing us to take a substantial hit. As a "for instance" I've wondered whether or not the RP should be re-written as an AOLserver module (written in C, guaranteed to be faster than JIT, but then again I've *written* C compilers so this idea doesn't scare me).
Monitoring and documenting performance problems with our Tcl-based core is the first step towards building enthusiasm for rewrites in *any* language, IMO. Without specifics that not only document faster execution time, but also manage to convince one that the decrease is significant (the 90%/10% rule), will probably just result in repeated calls to "prove it".
Once proven, one can start looking at optimization. Perhaps language choice is the answer, perhaps better use at existing tools is the answer, but with real data no one can say.
Ironically (at least from my POV) my background is as an optimizing compiler freak who more-or-less ruled the earth for smaller machines in the late 1970s-mid 1980s. But our targets were different than in this environment (i.e. we targetted assembly coders for process-control systems) and it was all fairly analytical.
So I'll want some "fairly analytical" information before I'll change my mind. But my mind's open, of course!
