Fast Bytecodes for Funny Languages

There are several languages that target bytecodes and the JVM machine as their new "assembler," including Scala, Clojure, Jython, JRuby, the JavaScript programming language/Rhino, and JPC. This session takes a quick look at how well these languages sit on a JVM machine, what their performance is, where it goes, and why.

Some of the results are surprising: Clojure's STM ran a complex concurrent problem with 600 parallel worker threads with perfect scaling on an Azul box without modification. Some of the results are less surprising: fixnum/bignum math ops take a substantial toll on the benefit of entirely transparent integer math and a lack of tail-call optimization gives some languages fits. Some of the languages can get "to the metal" and sometimes performance takes a backseat to other concerns. This session, for non-Java platform JVM machine users, is a JVM machine's-eye-view of bytecodes, JITs, and code-gen and will give you insight into why a language is (or is not!) as fast as you might expect.

About Cliff Click

With more than twenty-five years experience developing compilers, Cliff serves as Azul Systems' Chief JVM Architect. Cliff joined Azul in 2002 from Sun Microsystems where he was the architect and lead developer of the HotSpot Server Compiler, a technology that has delivered dramatic improvements in Java performance since its inception.

Previously he was with Motorola where he helped deliver industry leading SpecInt2000 scores on PowerPC chips, and before that he researched compiler technology at HP Labs. Cliff has been writing optimizing compilers and JITs for over 20 years. He is invited to speak regularly at industry and academic conferences including JavaOne, ECOOP, JVM and VEE; serves on the Program Committee of many conferences (including PLDI and OOPSLA); and has published many papers about HotSpot technology and more than a dozen related patents. Cliff holds a PhD in Computer Science from Rice University.

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