3 ms·

FWIW, BSD grep has significantly closed the gap since then, often by replication GNU approach in some ways. Also BSD grep has other advantages, primarily it's

FWIW, BSD grep has significantly closed the gap since then, often by replication GNU approach in some ways. Also BSD grep has other advantages, primarily it's not GNU grep.

wglb 8y ago
This is curious, as I just did a test with grep and ggrep. The latter is almost 3 times faster for a very common use case I have.
- ComputerGuru 8y ago
  Presumably on macOS? Basically all BSD- or GNU-derived tools that ship on macOS are ancient, ancient versions that deserve to be burnt away and should not be considered indicative of what the current state-of-the-art is capable of.
- GalacticDomin8r 8y ago
  grep -V ? ldd grep ? Use case sample ?
  - wglb 8y ago
    grep (BSD grep) 2.5.1-FreeBSD The other commenter in this thread pointed out that this is a very old version and the newer bsd version is better. real 0m2.044s user 0m1.932s sys 0m0.085s wgl@pondera:~$ time grep LiteonTe *.text | wc -l 11020 real 0m1.939s user 0m1.905s sys 0m0.038s wgl@pondera:~$ time ggrep LiteonTe *.text | wc -l 11020 real 0m0.130s user 0m0.087s sys 0m0.037s wgl@pondera:~$ time ggrep LiteonTe *.text | wc -l 11020 real 0m0.119s user 0m0.088s sys 0m0.035s wgl@pondera:~$ du -h -s *.text 128M Kismetkismet-kali-pondera-20190325-08-46-27-1.pcapdump.text First one was done to cache then the number discarded. Thus the 'grep' you see above is the second run over the 128 mb pcap file expanded with tshark. Dramatic. I'll stay with the gnu grep and not update the regular ones for now.
    - GalacticDomin8r 8y ago
      It would help if you tested just grep when benchmarking grep. These datapoints tell a much different story. # /usr/bin/grep -V grep (BSD grep) 2.6.0-FreeBSD root@m6600:~ # /usr/local/bin/grep -V grep (GNU grep) 3.3 Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>. This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Written by Mike Haertel and others; see <https://git.sv.gnu.org/cgit/grep.git/tree/AUTHORS>. root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.54 real 0.45 user 0.07 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.54 real 0.44 user 0.08 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.54 real 0.41 user 0.11 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.58 real 0.49 user 0.08 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.60 real 0.48 user 0.11 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.59 real 0.50 user 0.08 sys root@m6600:~ # du -h -s packetdump.pcap 225M packetdump.pcap
      - wglb 8y ago
        That is a very good point. Taking this better approach, here is what I get on my (not updated grep) system: wgl:$ /usr/bin/grep --version /usr/bin/grep --version grep (BSD grep) 2.5.1-FreeBSD wgl:$ /usr/local/bin/ggrep --version /usr/local/bin/ggrep --version ggrep (GNU grep) 3.3 Packaged by Homebrew Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>. This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Written by Mike Haertel and others; see <https://git.sv.gnu.org/cgit/grep.git/tree/AUTHORS>. wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text | wc -l /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text | wc -l 2.30 real 1.04 user 0.67 sys 1228 wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text | wc -l /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text | wc -l 5.65 real 5.30 user 0.33 sys 1228 wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text >/dev/null /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text >/dev/null 0.05 real 0.03 user 0.01 sys wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text >/dev/null /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text >/dev/null 6.50 real 5.71 user 0.58 sys wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text -c /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text -c 1228 2.33 real 1.05 user 0.69 sys wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text -c /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text -c 1228 5.37 real 5.05 user 0.31 sys The wc -l is clearly polluting the result. However, I suspect that the >/dev/null is as well. But in the worst case, I see a halving of time over the old grep (edited), which correlates with my most common use of grep in looking through source files.

FWIW, BSD grep has significantly closed the gap since then, often by replication GNU approach in some ways. Also BSD grep has other advantages, primarily it's not GNU grep.

wglb 8y ago

This is curious, as I just did a test with grep and ggrep. The latter is almost 3 times faster for a very common use case I have.

ComputerGuru 8y ago
Presumably on macOS? Basically all BSD- or GNU-derived tools that ship on macOS are ancient, ancient versions that deserve to be burnt away and should not be considered indicative of what the current state-of-the-art is capable of.
GalacticDomin8r 8y ago
grep -V ? ldd grep ? Use case sample ?
- wglb 8y ago
  grep (BSD grep) 2.5.1-FreeBSD The other commenter in this thread pointed out that this is a very old version and the newer bsd version is better. real 0m2.044s user 0m1.932s sys 0m0.085s wgl@pondera:~$ time grep LiteonTe *.text | wc -l 11020 real 0m1.939s user 0m1.905s sys 0m0.038s wgl@pondera:~$ time ggrep LiteonTe *.text | wc -l 11020 real 0m0.130s user 0m0.087s sys 0m0.037s wgl@pondera:~$ time ggrep LiteonTe *.text | wc -l 11020 real 0m0.119s user 0m0.088s sys 0m0.035s wgl@pondera:~$ du -h -s *.text 128M Kismetkismet-kali-pondera-20190325-08-46-27-1.pcapdump.text First one was done to cache then the number discarded. Thus the 'grep' you see above is the second run over the 128 mb pcap file expanded with tshark. Dramatic. I'll stay with the gnu grep and not update the regular ones for now.
  - GalacticDomin8r 8y ago
    It would help if you tested just grep when benchmarking grep. These datapoints tell a much different story. # /usr/bin/grep -V grep (BSD grep) 2.6.0-FreeBSD root@m6600:~ # /usr/local/bin/grep -V grep (GNU grep) 3.3 Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>. This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Written by Mike Haertel and others; see <https://git.sv.gnu.org/cgit/grep.git/tree/AUTHORS>. root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.54 real 0.45 user 0.07 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.54 real 0.44 user 0.08 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.54 real 0.41 user 0.11 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.58 real 0.49 user 0.08 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.60 real 0.48 user 0.11 sys root@m6600:~ # /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/grep X-User-Agent packetdump.pcap -c 60 0.59 real 0.50 user 0.08 sys root@m6600:~ # du -h -s packetdump.pcap 225M packetdump.pcap
    - wglb 8y ago
      That is a very good point. Taking this better approach, here is what I get on my (not updated grep) system: wgl:$ /usr/bin/grep --version /usr/bin/grep --version grep (BSD grep) 2.5.1-FreeBSD wgl:$ /usr/local/bin/ggrep --version /usr/local/bin/ggrep --version ggrep (GNU grep) 3.3 Packaged by Homebrew Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>. This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Written by Mike Haertel and others; see <https://git.sv.gnu.org/cgit/grep.git/tree/AUTHORS>. wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text | wc -l /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text | wc -l 2.30 real 1.04 user 0.67 sys 1228 wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text | wc -l /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text | wc -l 5.65 real 5.30 user 0.33 sys 1228 wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text >/dev/null /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text >/dev/null 0.05 real 0.03 user 0.01 sys wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text >/dev/null /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text >/dev/null 6.50 real 5.71 user 0.58 sys wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text -c /usr/bin/time /usr/local/bin/ggrep LiteonTe really-big.text -c 1228 2.33 real 1.05 user 0.69 sys wgl:$ /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text -c /usr/bin/time /usr/bin/grep LiteonTe really-big.text -c 1228 5.37 real 5.05 user 0.31 sys The wc -l is clearly polluting the result. However, I suspect that the >/dev/null is as well. But in the worst case, I see a halving of time over the old grep (edited), which correlates with my most common use of grep in looking through source files.