[pron]

But value types do let you group fields (with sub-component values).

Also, I've noticed that whenever I say Java does X, you say, "Oh, no! It does X - ε!" Now, to me, that's nitpicking, especially considering that a perfect general-purpose language/runtime designed to be simple (for some definition of simple) should give you 90+% performance in 99% of general-purpose use cases (or 95% in 95% etc.). If it does any better then one of two possibilities is true: 1/ it's magic, or 2/ it's not a perfect simple language/runtime because it could have been made simpler (by whatever definition of simple it's chosen).

Anyone who can't settle for anything less than 100% performance or does something that's outside 95% of the use cases knows not to use such a general-purpose language/runtime, and, instead, uses a more domain-specific language/runtime or one that's not designed to be simple.

[vitalyd]

>But value types do let you group fields (with sub-component values).

They let you treat the fields of a value type as a "blob", you have no control over how they're laid out within that blob.

>Also, I've noticed that whenever I say Java does X, you say, "Oh, no! It does X - ε!" Now, to me, that's nitpicking, especially considering that a perfect general-purpose language/runtime designed to be simple (for some definition of simple) should give you 90+% performance in 99% of general-purpose use cases (or 95% in 95% etc.). If it does any better then one of two possibilities is true: 1/ it's magic, or 2/ it's not a perfect simple language/runtime because it could have been made simpler (by whatever definition of simple it's chosen).

Nothing personal, but I find your JVM related posts as borderline fanboyism (and I say this as someone that greatly respects the engineering in Hotspot, despite certain things bugging me). It's not about 100% or 95% performance; it's about not making exaggerated claims since, as you say, there's no magic.

[pron]

> I find your JVM related posts as borderline fanboyism

I think they're much less fanboyish than any other language/runtime discussion on HN.

> it's about not making exaggerated claims

I am not making exaggerated claims because perfect for me (and, by definition 95% of people) is precisely how I've defined the requirements from a runtime like Java (or Go, or Python, for that matter). So, if I say "it gives you all the layout control you need", I don't mean all the layout control you need to write a DSP, or all the layout control you need to get 100% performance -- only 99% performance. I think most people make the same assumption (because they're not writing DSPs), and I find your posts nitpicky and possibly misleading for the target audience (who, by and large, don't write DSPs or medical devices or particle accelerator beam controllers -- at least certainly on threads not discussing those interesting but extreme use cases). I don't think it's reasonable to qualify every statement for some negligible (possibly nonexistent) portion of the participants, especially considering that that minority already knows the statements don't completely apply to them. Not doing so doesn't qualify as exaggeration IMO, but reasonable expressiveness, or else every discussion will be bogged down in irrelevant detail that will only distract from the main point.

So, yes, I stand behind my claim that value types give you all the control you need to get 99% performance for 99% of the use cases people would normally use Java for.

[TheLoneWolfling]

X - ε, for very large values of ε.

[TheLoneWolfling]

X - ε, for very large values of ε.