Typing system vs. Java

[Andy Freeman]

Christopher Barber <cbarber at curl.com> wrote in message 
> You didn't respond to my comments on potential for performance gains.  Can I
> assume that I scored a point?  ;-)

Only if you've already exhausted algorithm/architecture/infrastructure
improvements and "decrease run-time at any cost" really is the primary
consideration.

I figure that there are about five applications in the world that qualify,
and they're written in assembler.  (The other candidates have migrated
to hardware.)  They, and their techniques, are less relevant to most
of us than F1 racecars.

Type systems have certain benefits.  They also have certain costs.
For almost all of us, the performance "potential" isn't a benefit.

I suppose someone should have mentioned the costs of inappropriate
attention to performance.  Chosing a language because you hope that
its type system will help with performance seems to qualify.

-andy