On: Windows Timer Resolution: Megawatts Wasted

[mischanix]

setTimeout(,0) is a special case. It means "make this function be ran after the current call stack clears". That requires neither a timer nor a spin loop.

[pcwalton → mischanix]

If browsers did that they would break the Web. They must clamp to some low delay (4 ms, I believe) or else some pages will lock up.

See https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=123273

[mischanix → pcwalton]

Right, but that precedent was only set by incorrect implementations existing in the first place. Using setTimeout(,0) recursively in lieu of (a then unavailable) requestAnimationFrame or a non-zero timeout period is in my mind equivalent to while(true){}/infinite tail recursion.

[mischanix → mischanix]

And yes, in the HTML5 spec (years later), it was standardized to a 4ms clamp, also because of the incorrect implementations prior.

[rimantas → mischanix]

Related: http://www.nczonline.net/blog/2013/07/09/the-case-for-setimm...