Re: Da Vinci Machine Project

[Matthew Paul Del Buono <delbu9c1@...>]

As much as I absolutely HATE Java, I have to disagree with you on several points.

>
>   java apps are so slow. the only place they are used
>   most r
>   1. big enterprises
>   2. when portability is an issue

This is completely not true. One of the up-and-coming applications of Java is in embedded systems, because you no longer have to include a processor/microcontroller on board. You just need a Java chip and you instantly have multithreading capabilities and all the ease of use that Java grants you. And they aren't expensive, either.

Programs are also being written in Java just because it is incredibly easy to use. How many hours have you spent in C debugging a buffer overflow problem which shows up 10 minutes after the problem occurs? ... Now how about Java, where the error is indicated immediately?

And there are many more reasons.

But that's an important point. Ease of use. Java is quickly becoming one of the first languages taught in a lot of CS/SE programs because it's so easy to pick up. It's a great starting point, and it's easy to write programs in it.


>
>   otherwise cpp is rather okay and less of bloat
>

This implies that C++ is a "bloat" which I would argue it isn't. That's fully dependent upon your compiler, and most compilers should be able to compile it relatively comparable to C (assuming you disabled RTTI, etc.).

>   on this note i wud really like to understand what u
>   mean when you say "with a performance
>      level comparable to that of Java itself".

"Lookahead" processing of Java has come a long way, and its performance has come a long way too. I won't dare say that it's up to par with other, compiled languages, because it isn't, but it is definitely a lot better than it has been in the past.

More importantly, when run on a Java chip, Java code is extremely fast, mostly because there's no translations to be done. Due to the size of these chips and their price, these are increasingly being used on embedded systems. A good example is the IntelliBrain educational robot produced by RidgeSoft. Their entire code is in Java and the bot uses a Java chip to execute the code.

Please keep in mind, in the future, that when you argue about performance, a program's "realtime" requirements are completely dependent upon the nature of the program. And keep in mind, all of this is coming from someone who hates Java, so while they may do (imho) a lot of things wrong, there are definitely some things they did right. And you dismissing the OP's request to use Java immediately without any basis for the argument is completely out of line.

-- Matthew P. Del Buono