pulse drive vs direct drive

so in looking at various laser diodes i am seeing reference to some in that they say max output pulse drive of (x). But the drivers I am seeing mostly in the laserpointerforums are (i think) constant voltage supply. I think all the drivers im seeing here limit the voltage and prevent surges but dont 'pulse'.

Is there a drawback to runnig what was designed to be a 'pulse drive' laser diode with just direct drive voltage? Would this result in shorter life span or lower max output?

There's no easy answer without more information about the diode's specs.

Some diodes designed for pulse operation, do so in the kilohertz range, flashing thousands of times a second. Such a diode, to our eyes, would look to be on continuous current. -Not a huge difference to us, but possibly a BIG difference to the operation and life span of the diode.

Some diodes are spec'd out at a 1000ma, but can only be pulsed for a few nano-seconds in durration. Such a diode could easily fail at only 10ma, if applied continuously.

I know some diodes that are made to be run in a pulsed mode, can be run continuously, but you really have to know what all the parameters are before hand and even then, be preapared to have it die a quick death if you guess wrong.

I was on a diode supplier website when I typed up the question. If I had been thinking about it I would have posted a link

for now ill just avoid playing with diodes that mention pulse operation