Ada vs Java performance testing...

Ada vs Java performance testing...

[Michael Andersson]

Hi!
This isn't realy a Ada question but I hope you can help me out any way.
For my final year project I'm going to port my realtime 3d simulator,
written in Ada using the OpenGL API, to Java and Java3D. The reason for
this is that a company here in Sweden is interested in how the
performance as well as design i affected when using Java3D instead of
OpenGL. Could you give me any tips on how to compare to version of the
same application written in different programming languges? Do you know
of any good book on the subject?

Best regards
/Michael Andersson

Re: Ada vs Java performance testing...

[Stephen Leake]

Michael Andersson <michael@ida.his.se> writes:

> Hi!
> This isn't realy a Ada question but I hope you can help me out any way.
> For my final year project I'm going to port my realtime 3d simulator,
> written in Ada using the OpenGL API, to Java and Java3D. The reason for
> this is that a company here in Sweden is interested in how the
> performance as well as design i affected when using Java3D instead of
> OpenGL. Could you give me any tips on how to compare to version of the
> same application written in different programming languges? Do you know
> of any good book on the subject?

This should be very interesting. However, it will be very difficult to
sort out the two changes; Ada -> Java and OpenGL -> Java3D. If
possible, maybe you could do it in two steps?

I don't have any specific tips to offer, but in general, you want to
define some benchmarks _now_, that you will run with the current
system and then with the Java system. You may also want to add some
benchmarks later.

Make the benchmarks meaningful. One typically quoted for graphics
stuff is polygons per second, but that will reflect the hardware more
than the software. So pick something top level, like "run this
simulation script start to finish". 

And be sure you use the _same_ hardware for the two systems!

And let us know how it goes!

-- 
-- Stephe

Re: Ada vs Java performance testing...

[Mr. Caffiene]

On Tue, 18 Dec 2001 08:19:37 +0100
Michael Andersson <michael@ida.his.se> wrote:

> Hi!
> This isn't realy a Ada question but I hope you can help me out any way.
> For my final year project I'm going to port my realtime 3d simulator,
> written in Ada using the OpenGL API, to Java and Java3D. The reason for
> this is that a company here in Sweden is interested in how the
> performance as well as design i affected when using Java3D instead of
> OpenGL. Could you give me any tips on how to compare to version of the
> same application written in different programming languges? Do you know
> of any good book on the subject?
> 
> Best regards
> /Michael Andersson

Have you considered using JGNAT (the Ada to Java compiler)? If my understanding is correct, you can import Java classes and Objects into Ada code using it, including Java3D.

Something to look into perhaps.

Chris
McDoobie

Re: Ada vs Java performance testing...

[Frank]

Hi!

> [....] If my understanding is correct, you can import Java classes and
Objects into Ada code using it, including Java3D.
>

Has anyone done this?

Another thing; is it possible to create distributed programs with JGNAT? If
so is it possible to have one partition in JVM and another in regular
executable?

Frank

Re: Ada vs Java performance testing...

[Marc A. Criley]

Frank wrote:
> 
> Hi!
> 
> > [....] If my understanding is correct, you can import Java classes and
> Objects into Ada code using it, including Java3D.
> >
> 
> Has anyone done this?

Oh yes.  I've built a whole GUI based on the Swing components, both
using and extending them, utilizing both classes and interfaces.

(JGNAT comes with a pre-canned set of bindings for JDK 1.2 and a tool to
auto-generate an Ada binding from any Java class.)

The problem with JGNAT 1.1p, the publically available version, is that
it's got some quirks and weaknesses that have to be coded around.  It
can be productively used, you just need to know upfront that there will
be some problems.  Also, if you're using tasking, it won't work with JDK
1.3, although non-tasking programs are okay.

I've heard that supported versions of JGNAT are much better and are
production ready.  Unfortunately you have to be a supported ACT customer
to have access to them.

> Another thing; is it possible to create distributed programs with JGNAT? If
> so is it possible to have one partition in JVM and another in regular
> executable?

It is not possible to build a distributed program with JGNAT 1.1p, don't
know what the currently supported version's capabilities in that area
are.

Marc A. Criley
Senior Staff Engineer
Quadrus Corporation
www.quadruscorp.com