>>>Now if "we" can just make Java run better on z/Architecture. :-D >>Is it z/Architecture, or z/OS? How's Java for Linux for z/Series? >>(Is it even available? See -- we're not quite Solarized yet.) Is >Yes it's available, and in my opinion, it needs improvements too.
Java is Java. Takes more machine cycles, yes indeed. Takes fewer programmer cycles. (Well, arguably. :-)) Same thing COBOL did versus Assembler. (Anybody remember when COBOL was a "dog"? It was.) Machines are faster and cost less. Programmers cost more (or at least not any less). Execution efficiency is not the only design criterion. Progress. Loop, repeat. Someday we'll be lamenting the fact that Java is so incredibly efficient versus something newer, like TPL (Telepathic Programming Language). Java already runs on lots of cell phones. >Part of it is the z/Architecture performance. A bit of (strong) advice: if you're not running anything but the most trivial amount of Java (and I do mean trivial) on mainframe without zAAP or IFL you're simply wasting money. I really do think IBM has quite neatly solved the "problem" with these two technologies (though I wouldn't bet against Poughkeepsie in doing more of what they always do, which is to tune the hardware for the software like nobody else). The first zAAP production customer in the world now thinks COBOL is inefficient (on a software+hardware cost basis). Honest. Depending on who you ask, apples to apples Java requires about 2 to 5 times more cycles for a given processing activity than COBOL. But if you suck 75% of those Java cycles onto zAAPs (or 100% onto IFLs), your CFO doesn't particularly care. I can think of one technical exception to what I just said, which is single, single threaded batch where wall clock time is critical -- i.e. truly SMP-hostile workload. In that case, get a System z9. :-) >>the stumbling block EBCDIC (which certainly causes enough problems)? >Linux of zSeries is ASCII. Both Linux and z/OS have very fine Java implementations, both available in 31-bit and 64-bit variations, and both with incremental improvements with each passing month. They're really very good, and they're posting some great benchmark numbers, especially with complex multi-EJB applications accessing multiple backends (i.e. your typical transactional enterprise Web applications). Your workload will dictate which addressing mode you'll want to run, but note that all your Java programs are already 64-bit. (The "bitness" of the underlying platform doesn't matter to Java, which is quite unlike C/C++, for example.) EBCDIC is not an issue -- Java is a Unicode environment either way. (On z/OS Java runs in USS.) By the way, I'm going to be watching the American Broadcasting Company's telecast of Monday Night Football on November 14th, although I may not be paying attention to the game itself. - - - - - Timothy F. Sipples Consulting Enterprise Software Architect IBM Americas zSeries/z9 Software Phone: +1 312 529 1612 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
