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Seeking Multi-Platform I/O Libraries?
An Anonymous Coward asks: "I'm just getting ready to plunge into a new project, and joy of joys have been given complete freedom when it comes to the implementation language - so long as the program will build and run on both x86 Linux and Windows. Now, I don't need a GUI, this is systems stuff only (processing binary executables in fact, so lots of bitfiddling and big nasty algorithms over hairy data structures) so pretty much all I need are standard IO libraries. C is currently at the top of my list..but what other language should I be looking at? I'm happy to learn a new one, and have the go ahead to do it..like I say, they want absolute speed. Can someone suggest a better language? C++ is out, it does come with a speed hit (using C++ properly anyway, not as a
souped-up C). If I'm gonna take the speed hit, I
may as well consider something like Ocaml which might let me claw the speed back with better algorithms and data structures.."
You will likely find that algorithmic improvements will gain you more speed than IO library efficiency, as long as you avoid VB. Heck, I'd even strongly look at Java with a good JIT. Don't write off anything 'till you've tried it.
meh.
I'm really very curious why you decided that c++ is out. I understand that the common (mis)perception is that c++ is slower - but let me ask this: Have you ever benchmarked it? If not, then I strongly suggest that you don't discount c++ out of hand. It has the cross-platform io facility of which you speak (streams), already has all the (completely debugged) algorithms and advanced data structures. Look, nothing is going to be faster than c (except for hand-tuned assembly) - If you absolutely need every little bit of performance, then don't bother with a language other than c. But, if you're looking for a language nearly as fast, with a complete template and streams library, that's portable, then you ought to seriously consider c++. (btw, I've written extensive projects in c++ (25000+ lines) - There isn't much performance difference, and the benefits to using it far outweigh any other penalties.)
This is more than just a language question. It looks like you're starting to get the standard responses already for Java, C++, etc.
But all of these opinions presume that you're fairly experienced in these languages. Ignore them.
Language experience/familiarity is THE factor here, so don't discount it. Someone who has been eating and breathing Java would likely produce speedier code than someone who is just learning C, for example.
Your employer/client wants SPEED. This project involves hairy and complicated bit fiddling. I would suggest NOT using this project to learn a new language, for the risks outweigh the rewards in this situation.
If you choose to use a new langauge for this critical job, you're setting yourself up for disappoint. Do not forget that you're going to have to go through the all the growing pains associated with a new langauge. You're going to spend weekends tracking down (and learning from) all the newbie mistakes one makes with a new langauge. You are going to encounter new and unfamiliar bugs at all levels - logical design, physical design, semantic, syntactic.
Do you really want to spend your nights and weekends figuring out what the heck is throwing some particular JAVA exception seamingly at random? Why your C++ function template specialization is being ignored?
Learning a new language is exhilarating, but that will quickly turn to FRUSTRATION when you run into that weekend-long show-stopper bug.
With your product being measured by performance, and with deadlines looming... When it comes down to crunch-time, I think the choice is OBVIOUS!!
Choose a different, fun project to learn a new language. But for this product you're delivering, I would encourage you to stick with the tools you know and love.
Best,
Captain Abstraction
How can you use it improperly? C++ is an object capable language, not a strict object oriented language. If you want to use objects, then fine. If not, then please don't.
Object oriented development is a tremendous thing, useful for many things, and a marvel of overcoming complexity through abstraction.
BUT, OOP is not the solution for everything. There are many problems that don't need an object structure, and should be written another way. Above all, drop the notion that C++ should be used only a certain way to be proper. The latest cool feature of C++, the Standard Template Library, isn't even object oriented - it's GENERIC, because that type of programming just was the right thing to do for that library.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.