feat: Update benchmarking to use b.Loop() and bump go specification to 1.24

[andrew-field]

This updates the benchmarking to take advantage of the new standard 'testing.B.Loop'. This results in simpler and more predictable benchmarking. For instance, b.ResetTimer() is no longer required. I also believe the notice

Note: Sometimes, Go can optimize your benchmarks in a way that makes them inaccurate, such as eliminating the function being benchmarked. Check your benchmarks to see if the values make sense. If they seem overly optimized, you can follow the strategies in this blog post.

no longer applies as

The compiler never optimizes away calls to functions within the body of a "for b.Loop() { ... }" loop.

See:

• https://go.dev/blog/testing-b-loop
• https://pkg.go.dev/testing#hdr-Benchmarks
• https://pkg.go.dev/testing#B.Loop

This request also bumps the go specification to 1.24 which is needed for this.

Thanks!

[quii]

Nice one!