Direct linking does (indirectly) affect startup time. Specifically, using direct linking means that many vars in the function class initializer are no longer ne

Direct linking does (indirectly) affect startup time. Specifically, using direct linking means that many vars in the function class initializer are no longer needed. There is some new logic that avoids adding unused var initialization in the compiled class. The result is a reduction in class size and static initializer size, which reduces classloading time (a significant part of startup costs).