Why would code compiled on your system run any faster than the same code on someone else's system?
Because many pre-compiled packages use conservative optimization flags and may lack specific code paths for certain processors and instruction sets. They might also have chosen a compiler which doesn't produce the fastest code around. I'm not sure how it stands today, but a few years back, ICC produced code up to 30% faster than GCC or MSVC.
The difference all depends on the type of application of course. Overall, you might only see a performance difference of 1-5%, but for specific parts of the application, performance increase may be anywhere between 10 to 200%.
Last, compiling yourself also means you can choose what gets compiled and what not. Which in turns reduces diskspace and memory usage of the executable and may increase security and performance a bit. For things like Kernels and such, you need to compile it yourself if you want support for specific things (ALTQ for PF under FreeBSD for instance).
No police officer is going to give you a ticket for going 5 over the speedlimit so don't even think of using it as an excuse.
Where I live (the Netherlands), below 100km/h there is a 3 km/h correction (3% correction above 100km/h), so driving 54km/h in a 50km/h zone can get you a fine. Granted, a police officer isn't likely to stop you, but driving past a speed trap (which we have a LOT of) is going to land you a ticket.
Not only that, it also means we will need to trade in some of our opinions, morals and values.
A nice example; Recently, the Dalai Lama made an unofficial visit to the Netherlands, without meeting important people like the Prime Minister and such. The reason: China would impose trade restrictions if the meeting was official or he would meet the Queen or Prime Minister. Now they only impose mild sanctions on us, such as restricting Visa for politicians.
A better example even: If you'd go to a local department store here in the Netherlands and purchase a Globe (not sure what the proper English name is; a soccerball sized globe with the world map and a lamp inside), produced in China of course (what isn't), you'll notice that some borders around China have been moved. Taiwan is no longer an independent country either, but it is part of China.
Anyhow, a $20 gold coin has a face value of $20. That's what makes it a $20 gold coin.
Well, a tomato is (oversized) berry, which makes it a fruit. But it is (was?) taxed in the US a vegetable. Things are what they are, unless the government says otherwise.
and it's used in tons of video games (precisely because it doesn't need to be licensed, I think)
And because a popular package used in games, http://www.radgametools.com/, has very good support for ogg. So there is little reason why video games shouldn't use ogg. Better, cheaper and usable.
Most of the problems associated with prostitution are caused by the illegality itself. If it were legal, you wouldn't have hookers walking down the street soliciting you. They would be in "cathouses" in areas zoned for such businesses. Rather than offering STD testing, it could be mandated as a requirement for their license. You would no longer have pimps beating them. And they would be paying income tax and their employers would be paying business taxes.
Where I live, the Netherlands (small country in Europe, you probably know Amsterdam), prostitution is legal. But legalizing prostitution alone hasn't been enough to solve all the problems and criminal connections. Prostitution remains easy money for criminals, especially when prostitutes are forced and get little pay. And the real-estate needed for window-prostitution and brothels is a good way to launder money. There remains a substantial part in illegality, though overall, the situation seems better in comparison to places where prostitution is illegal.
Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny. -- Frank Hubbard