Subject: Re: CCL:Why program in Java?

From: hinsen$at$cnrs-orleans.fr
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 14:20:07 +0200

On 04.06.2004, at 13:46, jle$at$theworld.com wrote:

> Folks, I would appreciate pointers to any article/book discussing
> the pros and cons of programming in Java.  Either with regards to
> other interpreted languages such as Python/Perl, or with regards
> to compiled languages such as C/C++.  Truly comparative articles
>
I'd put Java into the "compiled languages" category, as native code  
compilers are available, and JIT byte code compilation is getting close  
to native in speed as well, though not necessarily for numeric  
applications (probable just because the JIT compilers are not made for  
that). Perhaps the best summary description of Java is "C++ cleaned  
up". The only aspect in which Java is quiet different from C and C++ is  
memory management, which is fully automatic (with garbage collection)  
in Java.

The Python Web site (www.python.org) has pointers to articles that  
compare Python to other languages, including Java and Perl.

Beyond all the more or less objective comparisons, there is one aspect  
that is rarely mentioned: you should pick a language that suits your  
way of working and thinking. Just like some people prefer geometry and  
others algebra for attacking the same problem, some programmers get  
better results with one langugae and others with another one. I am  
still waiting for the first personality tests that include programming  
preferences.
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Konrad Hinsen
Laboratoire Leon Brillouin, CEA Saclay,
91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
Tel.: +33-1 69 08 79 25
Fax: +33-1 69 08 82 61
E-Mail: hinsen$at$llb.saclay.cea.fr
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