From: "Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96" <condicma@PWFL.COM>
Subject: Re: Fortran or Ada?
Date: 1998/09/23
Date: 1998-09-23T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <98092310454016@psavax.pwfl.com> (raw)
Gisle S{lensminde <gisle@KRAKE.II.UIB.NO> writes:
>But if we write comparable code in both languages, I would think that
>Fortran would win in a raw speed test, because some of the Fortran
>compilers optimize extremly well.
>
If you have not already heard from the compiler writers in the
crowd, I'm sure you will. You can't really compare "The Speed Of
Ada" to "The Speed Of Fortran" because it isn't the language that
makes it fast, it's the implementation. I have seen some really
crappy code generation done for Ada and I have seen code
generation that is every bit as tight as anything you can get out
of Fortran. As long as you are comparing similar features (say,
basic arithmetic operations, or looping or branching, etc.) I
think you'll find that there is no reason why the Ada won't
compile down as tightly as similar statements in Fortran.
Oh, sure, if you leave in checks that Fortran doesn't perform,
you'll see Ada code that is slower. But I don't know of any Ada
compilers where you can't disable those checks and run without the
safety net if speed is an issue. (We do it regularly around here
for our real time control systems.) Also, I've heard tell of
Fortran compilers that included support for specialized hardware
(the Cray comes to mind) where they could generate extremely fast
code to, say, multiply vectors and such. But that's a little like
cheating since you are talking about a customized compiler for a
very narrow niche. One could do the same with an Ada compiler, but
you'd have to be spending the money to build it for the same niche
and that might not make economic sense.
We regularly build hard, real time systems with Ada and are almost
always evaluating some kind of compiler technology. We have yet to
see the case made that "Language X" can't be compiled as tightly
as "Language Y" provided that both languages implement similar
features so that we are comparing apples and apples. (O.K., there
*is* Befunge, which is a language beyond the bounds of sanity. So
maybe I speak too strongly... ;-)
MDC
Marin David Condic, Senior Computer Engineer Voice: 561.796.8997
Pratt & Whitney GESP, M/S 731-95, P.O.B. 109600 Fax: 561.796.4669
West Palm Beach, FL, 33410-9600 Internet: CONDICMA@PWFL.COM
=============================================================================
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore
all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
-- G.B. Shaw
=============================================================================
next reply other threads:[~1998-09-23 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 93+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1998-09-23 0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96 [this message]
1998-09-23 0:00 ` Fortran or Ada? Gisle S{lensminde
1998-09-24 0:00 ` John McCabe
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Dean F. Sutherland
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Gisle S{lensminde
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Samuel T. Harris
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1998-10-05 0:00 robin
1998-10-05 0:00 Condic, Marin D.
1998-10-05 0:00 Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-24 0:00 Walt Brainerd
1998-09-25 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-25 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-23 0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
[not found] <36068E73.F0398C54@meca.polymtl.ca>
1998-09-22 0:00 ` Gisle S{lensminde
1998-09-22 0:00 ` Jeff Templon
1998-09-22 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-23 0:00 ` Jeff Templon
1998-09-23 0:00 ` Corey Minyard
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Craig Burley
1998-09-25 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-25 0:00 ` Jonathan Guthrie
1998-09-26 0:00 ` Craig Burley
1998-09-26 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-26 0:00 ` Craig Burley
1998-09-26 0:00 ` Robert B. Love
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Joel Seidman
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Marc A. Criley
1998-09-24 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-24 0:00 ` William Clodius
1998-09-25 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-25 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-25 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-25 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-25 0:00 ` jbs
1998-09-26 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-28 0:00 ` jbs
1998-09-29 0:00 ` Dean F. Sutherland
1998-09-29 0:00 ` Gautier.DeMontmollin
1998-09-29 0:00 ` Dean F. Sutherland
1998-09-29 0:00 ` Dean F. Sutherland
1998-09-29 0:00 ` William B. Clodius
1998-09-30 0:00 ` jbs
1998-09-30 0:00 ` William Clodius
1998-09-30 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-09-30 0:00 ` jbs
1998-09-30 0:00 ` William Clodius
1998-10-03 0:00 ` Niklas Holsti
1998-10-03 0:00 ` Toon Moene
1998-10-03 0:00 ` Niklas Holsti
1998-10-03 0:00 ` Toon Moene
1998-10-04 0:00 ` Niklas Holsti
1998-10-05 0:00 ` Michel OLAGNON
1998-10-05 0:00 ` Ian St. John
1998-10-05 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-10-05 0:00 ` Ian St. John
1998-10-06 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-10-06 0:00 ` James Giles
1998-10-06 0:00 ` Mark A Biggar
1998-10-06 0:00 ` James Giles
1998-10-07 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-10-07 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-10-06 0:00 ` Toon Moene
1998-10-06 0:00 ` Jonathan Guthrie
1998-10-06 0:00 ` Ian St. John
1998-10-08 0:00 ` Gary L. Scott
1998-10-05 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1998-10-05 0:00 ` dewarr
1998-10-06 0:00 ` Michel OLAGNON
1998-10-07 0:00 ` Ian St. John
1998-10-02 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-10-02 0:00 ` jbs
1998-10-02 0:00 ` William Clodius
1998-10-03 0:00 ` jbs
1998-10-03 0:00 ` Larry Elmore
1998-10-06 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-10-06 0:00 ` Pat Rogers
1998-10-02 0:00 ` Geoff Bull
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Jeff Templon
1998-09-25 0:00 ` Dale Stanbrough
1998-09-30 0:00 ` Daniel Barker
1998-09-30 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1998-10-01 0:00 ` Aaron Crane
1998-10-05 0:00 ` Terry Devine
1998-09-25 0:00 ` dewarr
[not found] ` <6udre0$ha1$1@nnrp1.dejane <6utg60$h6l$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>
1998-10-01 0:00 ` robin_v
1998-09-22 0:00 ` Larry Kilgallen
1998-09-22 0:00 ` Corey Minyard
1998-09-22 0:00 ` Rakesh Malhotra
1998-09-23 0:00 ` Frank Ecke
1998-09-23 0:00 ` bglbv
1998-09-23 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-24 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
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