Re: Is Java useful for writing (C/C++) compiler

Patryk Zadarnowski wrote:
>
> ... by staying clear of Java for processor simulation you're save
> yourself a lot of grief and customer support calls in the long run.


Either language has its advantages: C++ programs might be faster, Java
programs will in general be safer (due to automatic memory management
and various dynamic checks).


> I think the moral of the story is that Java isn't well suited for
> CPU-intensive (esp. bit manipulation-intensive) applications ...


This is not a problem with the Java language itself, but possibly
related to the implementation you've been using.


> ... that do 99% of work in a single tight but large loop with
> longjumps all over the place (to handle exceptions and interrupts.)


What do longjumps have to do with Java? Java directly supports
exceptions, e.g. for handling arithmetic errors.


> My guess is that, even with JIT JVM, the performance is killed by
> the required bounds checking on the register file.


Assuming that your 'register file' is implemented as an array of fixed
size, such bounds checking could be eliminated in an optimizing JVM or
ahead-of-time compiler (producing native code).


--
Peter Bertelsen (http://www.dina.kvl.dk/~pmb)
PhD student, KVL, Copenhagen

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