[Techtalk] interpreted vs. compiled languages

[Meryll Larkin]

I haven't done the tests myself, but here is what I have heard:

All other things being equal, compiled languages usually perform better (for
speed) than interpretted languages.

The tricky part is the "all other things being equal".  They never are.  

If you have a Web app that is being hit more than hundreds of times per
minute, you want to make sure the code is optimized for speed.  That
probably begins with making sure the particular compiler on your computer is
the best for your compiled language, then making sure the production code is
optimized to reduce everything from nested loops in the code to whitespace
on the generated HTML page output, and everything in between (like making
short variable names, optimized data structures, and well encapsulated
code).

I have heard that under some circumstances, the default data structures
available in smart interpreted languages (perl, python) outperform C++ and
Java custom or default data structures.

I have heard that C code runs fastest because it is what the OS is written
in.  I think what that means is that the compiler is already optimized for C
code.


Meryll