[gameprogrammer] Re: Fast development over multiple platforms, which language?

  • From: brian <briane@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: gameprogrammer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:19:38 -0600

> > First of all, Java is interpreted, so it never can be as fast as a
> > language, such as C++, compiled into native code CAN be.
>
>Sorry, but no, Java is a compiled language. It is normally compiled to a
>virtual machine code, and not to the machine code of a specific
>processor. But, it can be compiled directly to native machine code. The
>virtual machine code generated by a Java compiler can be interpreted, or
>it can be recompiled into native machine code. The majority of Java run
>times compile Java byte code into native machine code. You might say
>that Java is a twice compiled language :-)
>
>The result is that Java on typical computers runs as compiled native
>machine code and is just as fast as any other compiled language running
>on those machines. OTOH, if you are willing to give up speed for space,
>you can run Java on a virtual machine in a tiny amount of memory. The
>best of both worlds... or the worst depending on your point of view.

Well, yes I know it is technically a compiled language, and I figured 
someone would stick me for saying it was interpreted. :)

I assumed that the vast majority of platforms would be running on virtual 
machines interpreting bytecode.  In that case, I think I could make an 
argument for Java being an 'interpreted class' language, even though 
strictly speaking its compiled into bytecode, since it would still incur 
most of the spend penalties of interpreted languages.

I guess that's an outdated assumption. :)

If the virtual machines actually compile down into native code, then a lot 
of my beef with Java performance goes away.  I had heard about experimental 
stuff with gcc compiling java into native code back in 2001, but never 
messed with it.

This makes me feel a little better about using a couple of Java projects I 
was interested in.  I just couldn't see how a Java based full-text search 
engine would be fast enough.

Guess I'll have to bite my lip about Java performance from now on unless I 
can have some empirical results to show.  I just know that in my OOP class 
in 2001 we wrote a simple 'maze traversal app' first in C++, and then 
ported it over to Java.  The performance hit was absolutely huge, and since 
then I've always regarded Java performance as something of a joke.

brian.


>The problem with using Java on the web is that the Java virtual machine
>in IE sucks. It is ancient, has no modern Java features, and is sloooow.
>Gee, didn't MS get sued, and lose, for its deliberate attempt to destroy
>Java? Why yes, they did. Paid Sun a billion or so for their nasty dead.
>
>                         Bob Pendleton



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