Ask HN: Can someone explain to me why all languages don't try to have the same syntax?

Re:Ask HN: Can someone explain to me why all languages don't... by dhotson on Monday December 22, 2008 @01:11AM (#406145)

I don't mean to be pedantic, but the 'Java is slow' thing simply isn't true anymore. It certainly used to be slow back in the day, but it's actually pretty good these days.

From what I've heard, programmers at Google put it in the same ballpark as C++.

This brings me to another point.. the choice of programming language often has more to do with image and branding as opposed to actual technical merit.

That's why we keep hearing the same old mantras:

Java -> uncool and slow

C/C++ -> fast

PHP -> hack

Ruby -> cool but slow

Cobol -> for dinosaurs

.. even after the problems are fixed, the image remains. It's pretty hard to change people's perceptions.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Can someone explain to me why all languages don't... by jimrandomh on Monday December 22, 2008 @10:01AM (#406405)

JIT compiled languages are slow to load, because they have to compile each bit of code the first time they run it. That is why Java is known as a slow language, even though it does fine in benchmarks: because loading is the one operation that's slow enough for the user to notice.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Can someone explain to me why all languages don't... by silentbicycle on Monday December 22, 2008 @09:27PM (#407177)

Counter-example: LuaJIT (http://luajit.org/luajit_performance.html), largely because the compiler / optimizer themselves are extraordinarily small.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Can someone explain to me why all languages don't... by dhotson on Monday December 22, 2008 @05:27PM (#406960)

The thing is, even compiled C++ apps are no better when loading a bunch of shared libraries etc.

OpenOffice.. I'm looking at you! ;-)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Can someone explain to me why all languages don't... by elai on Monday December 22, 2008 @02:05AM (#406174)

A lot of java software implementations are still very very slow. Try restarting a tomcat servlet container (web server) for some java web project and then try the same with some apache or django dev server. One takes 10 seconds, the other is done in a blink in of an eye. Look at eclipse/netbeans vs. xcode, swing applications vs. wxwidgets applications and so on. Java very bad start up times still makes it effectively slow.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Can someone explain to me why all languages don't... by volida on Monday December 22, 2008 @05:21AM (#406259)

Give me a break. What are you running the tomcat on? an 386? let's go back to Assembly yeii! eat some stones baby

[ Parent | on HN ]