[impure]

Let's say that you have two runners running the same marathon. The first one, Frank, sprints at full speed and eventually tires out and slows down. The second runner, Peter, takes a nap first and then finishes the marathon at the exact same time. Which of these two runners was faster in the race? The answer is: It doesn't matter. And therefore there is no such thing as running speed.

There is such a thing as productivity in programming. If you could measure it it would likely be some combination of peer review and an analysis of the impact implemented features and fixes had. Some companies actually have programmers rate each other. I don't know how well it works and I think it can lead to perverse scenarios. But you can come up with metrics that are positively correlated with productivity.

[robertlagrant]

The answer is neither is faster, because they finished at the same time.