How fast is Java? Teaching an old dog new tricks

6 months ago

Java has evolved with new features like SIMD APIs and multi-threading capabilities.
The article explores Java's performance in a particle simulation challenge, comparing it to Rust.
Java's SIMD API abstracts hardware differences, allowing for vectorized operations across CPU architectures.
The simulation uses Swing for UI, despite its outdated reputation, due to JavaFX's setup complexity.
Performance optimizations include multi-threading with thread-local pixel buffers and SIMD vector operations.
Java's performance is about half as fast as Rust in the particle simulation, with notable memory allocation differences.
The article critiques Java's ecosystem, particularly its lack of a default package manager and complex build systems.
Despite its shortcomings, Java holds sentimental value for the author as their first deep-dive programming language.

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