[metapost] memory problem

[Taco Hoekwater]

Boguslaw Jackowski wrote:
> 
> It takes a few minutes to find the solution both for the elder MP
> (from the pre-Taco era ;-) and for MP 0.901.
> 
> Is it possible that Stephan's task requires more than 1000 unknowns?
> Or I haven't caught the problem?

I removed the showvariables and then did some timings and curve-fitting
on my machine. Gnuplot says that the function for Jacko's example is:

   y=0.00000019*(x**3.02)     (y=sec,x=equations)

on my current (not so fast) machine. 200 equations take only 2sec,
but 1000 is 220sec and and 2500 would be 2969sec (almost 50min).

That is pretty awful performance :-(


Cheers, Taco