And even with that definition, a project could easily just send out an SSE optimized app as the standard (SIMAP is already doing so). Some projects require 1 GB of RAM, others require lots of disk space, so where would be the problem if a project choses to ignore antique pre-SSE processors?

Making an application better by fixing bugs or just correcting sloppy code is *not* optimizing it. That is what the standard app should have been all along.

It means making it better in a specific environment.

From Merriam-Webster:

Nothing about "specific environment"s in there ...
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The thing about specific environs seems to be rather your personal interpretation.
Your definition would in my understanding mean "specialize".
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"In computing, optimization is the process of modifying a system to make some aspect of it work more efficiently or use fewer resources. For instance, a computer program may be optimized so that it executes more rapidly, or is capable of operating with less memory storage or other resources, or draw less power"

Removing things that are calculated twice is an optimization. But it may not always be "trivial". In some cases very complex caching is needed to avoid those recalculations. In the other extreme, the compiler can do it for you.

Using special instructions that multiply four numbers in the time it usually takes to multiply one is also an optimization; in the category of "platform-specific" ("platform" can mean "processor supporting SSE2&quot.

semantic cavil


semantic: se·man·tic (sĭ-mān'tĭk)
adj. Of or relating to meaning, especially meaning in language.


cavil: cav⋅il   /ˈkævəl/
verb, To raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily