%% SCRAP: papers/REPLICATION_INVITE %% SOURCE: docs/working/papers/REPLICATION_INVITE.md %% STATUS: CURRENT %% FITS: ssrn/app-repro, vol3-research/ch-repro, experiments/app-repro %% EDITORIAL: lifted — prose rewritten to press voice \section{Invitation to Independent Replication} \label{sec:replication-invite} Independent replication is invited as a scientific obligation, not a courtesy. Complete source code, full experimental data, exact environment specifications, and step-by-step protocols are provided. A failure to reproduce the claimed 0.00\% algorithmic coefficient of variation should be reported as a bug; it will be investigated and acknowledged. \subsection{Why Replicate} Replication serves different purposes depending on the replicator's starting position. Skeptics who believe the results are implausible can attempt to falsify them; either a bug or an environmental difference will emerge, and both outcomes advance understanding. Researchers who want to build on this work should validate it first: independent replication strengthens evidence, identifies edge cases, and establishes community trust. Researchers working on adaptive systems gain a validated baseline for comparison and a practical demonstration of statistical methods applied to VM tuning. \subsection{Replication Levels} Three tiers of replication are defined, from a 15-minute smoke test to a multi-day full reproduction. \subsubsection{Level 1: Smoke Test (15 minutes)} Verifies basic functionality and the core 0\% CV claim. \begin{lstlisting}[language=bash] git clone https://github.com/rajames440/StarForth.git cd StarForth make fastest ./build/amd64/fastest/starforth --doe --config=C_FULL \end{lstlisting} Success criteria: build completes without errors; 780\raisebox{0.5ex}{+} tests pass; DoE run produces cache CV $\approx 0\%$. Failure threshold: cache CV $> 0.5\%$. \subsubsection{Level 2: Partial Replication (4 hours)} Reproduces the 25.4\% convergence claim across 30 trials. \begin{lstlisting}[language=bash] for i in {1..30}; do ./build/amd64/fastest/starforth --doe --config=C_FULL \ > results/run_${i}.csv done python3 scripts/analyze_convergence.py results/ \end{lstlisting} Success criteria: all 30 runs show cache CV = 0.00\%; late runs show statistically significant improvement ($p < 0.05$); improvement magnitude within $[20\%, 30\%]$. Failure thresholds: cache CV $> 0.1\%$ in any run; no convergence ($p > 0.05$); improvement $< 10\%$. \subsubsection{Level 3: Full Replication (2--3 days)} Reproduces all five primary claims (C1--C5) across 90 trials. \begin{lstlisting}[language=bash] ./scripts/full_replication.sh # 3 configs x 30 runs = 90 runs Rscript scripts/statistical_validation.R \end{lstlisting} Success criteria: all five claims reproduce within stated error margins; checksums match expected values; statistical tests yield equivalent significance levels. \subsection{Exact Reproduction via Docker} A Docker container provides bit-for-bit exact reproduction against a pinned environment, eliminating environmental differences: \begin{lstlisting}[language=bash] docker build -t starforth-replication -f Dockerfile.replication . docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/results:/results starforth-replication cd results/ && sha256sum -c EXPECTED_CHECKSUMS.txt \end{lstlisting} If all SHA256 checksums match, the reproduction is bit-for-bit identical. If any checksum differs and Docker is used, the discrepancy is in the code rather than the environment. \subsection{Manual Environment Configuration} For manual replication outside Docker, the canonical environment is Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS (kernel 6.2.0-39-generic), GCC 11.4.0, Make 4.3, on an x86\_64 system with AVX2 support and 16\,GB RAM. Critical configuration steps: \begin{lstlisting}[language=bash] # Set CPU governor sudo cpupower frequency-set -g performance # Disable Turbo Boost echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/no_turbo # Disable ASLR echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space # Pin to single core taskset -c 0 ./build/amd64/fastest/starforth --doe \end{lstlisting} Expected variability for correct replication: cache CV is 0.00\% (exact match); runtime may differ by $\pm 50\%$ (hardware-dependent); convergence magnitude may differ by $\pm 10\%$ (CPU-specific dictionary lookup cost). \subsection{Reporting Results} Successful replications and failures are both scientifically valuable. Report either via GitHub issue, using the tags \texttt{replication-success} or \texttt{replication-failure}. Include: replicator name and institution, date, replication level, git commit SHA, results summary (cache CV, convergence magnitude, $p$-value), and hardware and OS specifications. A response will follow within 48 hours: either an acknowledgment of a bug, diagnostic questions to identify environmental differences, or a request for additional data. \subsection{Common Issues and Resolutions} \paragraph{Cache CV = 0.05\%, expected 0.00\%.} The falsification threshold is 0.1\%; a CV of 0.05\% is within acceptable range. This constitutes a successful replication. \paragraph{Convergence = 18\%, expected 25.4\%.} The magnitude claim includes $\pm$ tolerance; 18\% is statistically significant and within range for different hardware. This is a successful replication. \paragraph{Cache CV = 70\%, expected 0.00\%.} This is a genuine failure. Check in order: clean rebuild (\texttt{make clean \&\& make fastest}); ASLR disabled; no \texttt{rand()} calls in source (\texttt{grep -r "rand(" src/}); valgrind for memory errors. Then file a GitHub issue immediately. \subsection{Acknowledgments for Falsification} The first replicator who falsifies Claim C1 (determinism, CV $> 0.1\%$ under controlled conditions) will receive co-authorship on any resulting erratum paper. The first replicator who falsifies Claim C2 (convergence, $p > 0.05$ across 30 runs) will receive acknowledgment in future publications. Any replicator who identifies a bug invalidating core claims will receive named credit in the fix commit. Science advances through falsification, and productive falsification is recognized accordingly. \subsection{Cross-Institutional Collaboration} Academic laboratories, industry engineering teams, and skeptical researchers make the best replication partners. Technical support (email and video), access to original hardware if needed, and co-authorship on any replication study are available. Contact: \texttt{rajames440@gmail.com} (R.A.\ James). \subsection{Replication Checklist} Before beginning: \begin{itemize} \item Read the executive summary (\S\ref{sec:executive-summary}) \item Read the formal claim table (\S\ref{sec:formal-claims}) \item Read the negative results (\S\ref{sec:negative-results}) \item Choose a replication level (1, 2, or 3) \item Set up the environment (Docker recommended) \end{itemize} During replication: \begin{itemize} \item Document all deviations from protocol \item Save all logs and outputs \item Record hardware and software specifications \end{itemize} After replication: \begin{itemize} \item Compare results to expected values \item Calculate deviations \item File a report (success or failure) \end{itemize}