For those of you fighting with Java performance, outside of the JTower
Java->native compiler referenced here earlier that performed so well
in the tests, GCC is starting to get into the game:
http://sourceware.cygnus.com/java/gcj.html
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What is it?
We've written a front end to the GCC compiler which can natively
compile both Javatm source and bytecode files. This new front end is
integrated into the EGCS project.
What you get
The currently available code consists of several programs:
gcj
A front end to gcc which is able to read Java ``.class'' files and generate assembly code. gcj is
also a convenient front end to jvgenmain. Work on a parser to
read ``.java'' files is in progress; the preliminary code is also
available here.
jvgenmain
A small program to generate an appropriate ``main'' for a Java
class.
gcjh
A program to generate C++ header files corresponding to Java
.class files.
jcf-dump
Reads a ``.class'' file and prints out all sorts of useful
information.
jv-scan
Reads a ``.java'' file and prints some useful information. For
instance, it can tell you which classes are defined in that file.
What it doesn't do
At this point the compiler cannot be used to generate actual
executables. The compiler has detailed knowledge about the runtime
environment coded in it, and we have not yet released this runtime.
What the future holds
In the future we do plan to release the runtime, which consists of a
minimal class library, a garbage collector (the Boehm conservative
collector), and a cooperative threads package (based on QuickThreads).
We are hard at work finishing the ``.java'' parser so that Java source
files can be directly we compiled; we are writing a back end to this
parser which will generate ``.class'' files; and we are changing gdb
so it can debug Java programs.
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--
J C Lawrence Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor) Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------(*) Internet: claw at under.engr.sgi.com
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...