Whomever takes a look at this should also consider the effects of task switching: 

cmpthese 1e6, { a=>q[ $_ = sleep 0 ], b=>q[ $_ = time() ] };;
            (warning: too few iterations for a reliable count)

       Rate    a    b
a  533333/s   -- -90%
b 5347594/s 903%   --

[download]

Of course this is not a great test, but it does server to maximise the effect of relinguished timeslices on the overall timings.

I've look at Benchmark a few times to see if I could see how to improve it, but it's not easy to find a generic solution. I've found that it is easier to work around it's limitations than fix them.

Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
Lingua non convalesco, consenesco et abolesco. -- Rule 1 has a caveat! -- Who broke the cabal?
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

In reply to Re^8: &1 is no faster than %2 when checking for oddness. (Careful what you benchmark) by BrowserUk
in thread &1 is no faster than %2 when checking for oddness. Oh well. by diotalevi

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