Is recompiling helpfull?
 

After i did a kernel compile i had a small thought that kept in my mind for some time. Since i could not find proof to support it either way, i thought i might just ask :)

Most "preloaded" packages will come in the form i486, wich leads one to believe the binaries where compiled to i486 compliance.

Now, if you take the time to compile a kernel, and set specific CPU options (because you expect the installation to live and die in that box), you do it for performance issues.

The question is, then, is it worth the time/bother to go around and recompile packages to your new kernel/box specs? If so, what kind of performance gain can one expect? The difference between an i486 and an i686 version of ls might be faint, but maybe in stuff like Samba it helps.

I use Slackware 9.1, and all packages come with i486 attached to them. I dont mind taking them off from the install, downloading the source and getting down and dirty into compiling/installing them from source. BUT, is it worth the bother?

Im particularly interrested in what difference it would make to Apache, PHP, SSH, Samba, Squid and X, since they are what mostly runs in the boxes i setup.

Any comments appreciated :)

compiled binaries run usually faster, are optimized, you can disable or enable features that you can change in a prebuilt binary,etc...