>If we are warping our algorithms and coding so much around it, isn't this a sign that the memory abstraction with the current caching scheme is an overly leaky

>If we are warping our algorithms and coding so much around it, isn't this a sign that the memory abstraction with the current caching scheme is an overly leaky abstraction? No, because we don't code our programs in the 'language of performance'. Performance of algorithms is always exterior to our abstractions. There's no way to talk about performance without talking about all the things that 'leak'. Conversely, if you design your algorithms with no consideration for performance, you will not care what the cache does. If you design your algorithms to maximize something they don't literally encode, then you're escaping the abstraction by definition, and side channels become relevant. In other words, the abstractions don't leak, they are just not up to the task of modeling optimal performance, so you have to use your human brain to do it on the side.