On 2/16/06, Stefano Mazzocchi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > which implements a very interesting trick to speed up java startup > performance: save the hotspot information in a repository (at JVM shut > down) so that the JIT doesn't have to wait when it starts until it knows > what is a hotspot to start compiling it. the performance improvements > are not likely to change the perception that java is awefully slow to > start up on the desktop, but it's a clever idea. > > In the meanwhile, Sun's attempt to solve the same problem in JSE6 is this= : > > http://java.sun.com/developer/JDCTechTips/2005/tt1115.html#1 > > No comment.
You try to sound clever by making that statement, but imho, despite any other speed-up work who might be implemented, Sun's solution is very important, and something that should have been implemented a long, long time ago. I welcome their implementation, even if late. Get this: Splash screens sever an important purpose: they're a visual cue to tell the user that the program is loading (even if it takes a long time). It's all about PERCEPTION. Java aps are PERCEIVED as slower because the computer appears to "freeze" until the program's UI is finally showed on the screen (after ALL classes -and even more if it uses Swing- needed to run are loaded- By then, the user is no longer interested in seeing a splash screen, he's already wondering why it took so long.... See, most Flash content on the web takes an AWFUL LOT of time to download, yet if you ask users, they'll tell you that Flash "loads faster" than java. The difference? Flash applets can show a message RIGHT AWAY and often display a progress dialog as the rest of the flash cr*p is downloading, telling the user what is going on. In contrast, java applets (and desktop applications as well) "freeze" the user experience until the applet (or desktop app) has loaded. I wonder why no one has tought about having java auto-load at startup and having a single instance of the Java VM running all the time, and then pass control of the first loaded java application to it (as Mozilla or Firefox pre-loads itself at boot time when the "quick launch" feature is enabled). FC
