CPython vs. Jython/JPython
Mike Coffin
mhc at Eng.Sun.COM
Sun Nov 5 16:11:00 EST 2000
Greg Jorgensen wrote:
> There is no way that a Java program can be faster than the equivalent C
> program, on the same computer, if the best practices and idioms of each
> language are followed.
Why? Speed depends, first, on how much effort is put into the
compiler and run-time system, and, second, on the semantics of the
language---issues like aliasing, garbage collection, run-time
checking, etc. As far as effort goes, there is a lot going into Java
compilers; more than C compilers I would guess. Techniques like
dynamic optimization, which are almost never applied to C, are common
for Java. As far as language semantics goes, it's a mixed bag: Java
has some features that make life harder and some that make life
easier. Mandated run-time checks make Java compilers a little harder.
The absence of pointer arithmetic and function pointers, and the
aliasing that comes with it, make things a lot easier. Garbage
collection can cut either way, depending on the program.
So I ask again: why is there "no way"?
-mike
More information about the Python-list
mailing list