Does C# Measure Up?

An anonymous reader queries: "Windows::Developer is offering a detailed, quantitative examination [free login required] of C#'s performance versus Java, C, C++ and D. 'Overall the results were surprising, although perhaps unexciting, in showing that C# (and to a less extent Java) is, to a good degree, on a par in efficiency terms with its older and (presumed to be) more efficient counterparts C and C++ at least as far as the basic language features compared in this analysis are concerned,' writes the author, Matthew Wilson. I'm only an amateur coder, and confess to not understanding most of the two-part article. I'd love to hear how true programmers view his results, which are too wide-ranging to summarize easily here. How about it Slashdot, as this special edition asks, 'Can C# keep up with compiled languages like C, C++, and D or byte-code based Java?'"

While we're on the topic of C#, rnd() queries: "It's been a while now, since Mono and DotGnu have begun eroding the market power of Microsoft by creating open source implementations of C# and the Common Language Runtime. Over the weekend I loaded Mono and did some informal benchmarking of object creation, intensive message passing, massive iteration, etc., and the results show that Mono is about 90% as fast as Microsoft's implementation after a very short time. I now want to switch my .NET development over to Linux/Mono exclusively, but I want to first settle on a free alternative to Visual Studio .NET 2003. Any suggestions?"

Differences

[fredistheking]

C# is higher pitch than C but less so than D.

--

Microsoft license prohibits CLR benchmarks

[Anonymous Coward]

Raed it. Ingroe it. Bncehmrak aynawy.

VS Alternative

[contrasutra]

I now want to switch my .NET development over to Linux/Mono exclusively, but I want to first settle on a free alternative to Visual Studio .NET 2003. Any suggestions?

VI. :-D

C,D, I feel bad for the F Programmer.

Uhm...

[Black Parrot]

> Overall the results were surprising, although perhaps unexciting, in showing that C# (and to a less extent Java) is, to a good degree, on a par in efficiency terms with its older and (presumed to be) more efficient counterparts C and C++ at least as far as the basic language features compared in this analysis are concerned

Could we have a few more weasel-words in that sentence, please?

Re:VS Alternative

[JamesOfTheDesert]

C,D, I feel bad for the F Programmer.

Ah, but there is F# [microsoft.com]

I always said

[Microsift]

C# was Delphi b (best flat sign I could do)

Re:I'm holding out for...

[ThatDamnMurphyGuy]

Remember though, C# and Db aren't the same note outside of the well tempered world!

Re:Whoa whoa whoa!

[jemenake]

There's a D? What's next? Eb? Technology is moving at an incredible rate, indeed!

Actually, depending upon who you ask, "D" shouldn't be the next in the series. I remember reading somewhere that the "C" got its name because it came after "B"... not in the alphabet, but in the acronym "BCPL", which supposedly stood for "basic combined programming language". (For more info, go read "BCPL to B to C" here [lysator.liu.se].

So, with that line of thinking, C++ should have been "P" (insert favorite "P Object-Oriented Programming" acronym joke here), and C# (although it shouldn't have been created at all, but was) should have been "L".

Re:In Java's case ...

[Bingo Foo]

How are these mythical generics at metaprogramming? If Java eventually gets libraries like Blitz++, Loki, and boost::Spirit, I'll take a look. Oh, but that would require operator overloading, too. Maybe Sun should release the "J2UE" (Java 2 Usable Edition) as a JVM implementation of C++.
</snarky>

Re:Whoa whoa whoa!

[wkitchen]

So, with that line of thinking, C++ should have been "P" (insert favorite "P Object-Oriented Programming" acronym joke here), and C# (although it shouldn't have been created at all, but was) should have been "L".

"L Object-Oriented Programming"?

Re:Microsoft license prohibits CLR benchmarks

[DrEasy]

I find that the "I'm tired of repetitive jokes" thing is getting repetitive as well... ;-)

Old School C++ Programmers

[mrcparker]

You mean all the way back 1994-95 era computing? sheesh. You work in a museum.

Re:In Java's case ...

[Geek of Tech]

> Not everything is an Object; didn't you first textbook tell you?

I never got around to that... my textbook was an object.....