[rescue] Sun memo regarding Java

[Joshua D. Boyd]

On Mon, Feb 10, 2003 at 06:28:00PM -0500, Dave McGuire wrote:

>    If you want speed, write in C.  If you want binary-level portability 
> and EXTREMELY rapid app development, write in Java.  If you want to get 
> a free membership to the local prepubescent-kids-only Linux club, write 
> in C++.  It's as simple as that.

You know, there are more than a few fast C++ programs out there.  I
don't have exact names handy, but for one thing a lot of video games for
all platforms are written in C++ (and then there was the Crash Bandicoot
games, and Jax and Daxter.  Those were written largely in lisp with C or
C++ extensions).  C++ is just like C.  You write a clean algorithm, and
if it's still not fast enough, you profile it to find what's causing the
trouble, and perhaps you then remove usage of a C++ feature from a
certain area.

Java doesn't have to be slow either.  For one thing, you always have the
choice of removing the performance critical parts to C or assembly.

The only languages that are going to be always slow are ones that don't
allow C or assembly calls, or ones that are otherwise just too badly
designed.  Certain forms of BASIC are really the only things I can think
of off the top of my head, and even then with VB and a C++ COM control,
you can do wonders for speed.