Benchmark the Design of Append. Discussion in Golang group at: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/golang-nuts/OHrLZU5SwAQ

Slicery.go

package slicery

import ()

//const loops = 7
const elements = 6
const ints = 10000000 // smaller and less unrealistic
type X struct {
	Data [ints]int
}

var slice []X

func initX(ptr *X, content int) {
	for j := 0; j < ints; j++ {
		ptr.Data[j] = content // First element has a different value for each array/slice.
		content++
	}
}

//////// Append technology
func Appender(loops int) {
	for i := 0; i < loops; i++ {
		slice = make([]X, 0, elements)

		for j := 0; j < elements; j++ {
			var x X
			initX(&x, j)
			slice = append(slice, x)
		}
	}
}

///////  Push technology
func push(slice []X) (nslice []X, nstruct *X) {
	l := len(slice)
	nslice = slice
	if l == cap(slice) {
		nslice = make([]X, l, cap(slice)*2)
		copy(nslice, slice)
	}
	nslice = nslice[0 : l+1]
	return nslice, &nslice[l]
}

func Pusher(loops int) {
	for i := 0; i < loops; i++ {
		slice = make([]X, 0, elements)

		for j := 0; j < elements; j++ {
			var px *X
			slice, px = push(slice)
			initX(px, j)
		}
	}
}

slicery_test.go

package slicery

import (
	"testing"
)

func TestA(t *testing.T) {
	Appender(3)
}

func TestP(t *testing.T) {
	Pusher(3)
}

/////

func BenchmarkAppend(b *testing.B) {
	Appender(b.N)
}
func BenchmarkPush(b *testing.B) {
	Pusher(b.N)
}

Those benchmarks were run on an Intel i3 with 6 gigs of ram on Ubuntu 13.10, 64-bit. Go 1.2.