Huh? I never mentioned self-optimizing compilers, and you never mentioned FOR loops.

I usually view this particular issue in terms of refactoring - not compilation - since refactoring is more obviously a continuous iterative process operating on an evolving codebase: whereas you can't compile a compiled version of a program very many times.

Anyway, this just seems like an evasion of the point - and a digression into trivia.

If you have any kind of case to make that machines will suddenly develop the ability to reprogram and improve themselves all-at-once - with the histories of compilation, refactoring, code wizards and specification languages representing an irrelevant side issue - I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested to hear about it.