Explore a conference talk that delves into the performance improvements of class variables (CVARs) in Ruby 3.1. Learn about the language design of class variables, their functionality, and the implementation of a cache to enhance their performance. Discover how the inheritance chain affects CVAR performance and examine real-world benchmarks demonstrating significant speed improvements. Gain insights into the tradeoffs of open-source software changes, including increased complexity and maintenance burden. Understand the negotiation process in OSS development and the widespread benefits of upgrading to Ruby 3.1 for improved CVAR performance across all applications.