Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
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From: julio@dvorak.amd.com (Julio Marcos)
Subject: Re: What are the differences between C++ and smalltalk?
Message-ID: <CzF6Cq.I0w@txnews.amd.com>
Keywords: smalltalk C++ compare comparison
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Organization: Advanced Micro Devices - Austin, Texas
References: <gpatters.3.000D9583@shl.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 16:12:24 GMT
Lines: 50

In article <gpatters.3.000D9583@shl.com>,
Gareth L. Patterson <gpatters@shl.com> wrote:
>Roland:
>
>What follows is something I picked up somewhere - it compares Smalltalk and C++. 
> If you look carefully, you will actually see that it compares Smalltalk and 
>C++ TO Smalltalk!  Obviously, Smalltalk wins!

I found this comparison somewhat biased towards Smalltalk. Don't get me wrong:
although I use C++, I want to learn Smalltalk.


Here are a couple of points:

>Smalltalk Cons
>Execution time is slower than C++. Some estimates indicate that C++ is 2 to 5 
>times faster, however implementing garbage collection and strong-typing 
>work-arounds in C++ can significantly reduce the performance edge. Another 
>mitigating factor is that workstation performance increases by a factor of 5 
>every year.                                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^

I'd say something closer to 2. The PowerPC made the Mac go 3 to 4 times faster
than the 68k, but that was due to a change in architecture (doesn't happen
every day). And even if workstations get faster, C++ will still be faster
by the same factor.

>C++ Pros
>Most widely used OO language in the industry Many 3rd party class libraries 
>available Gives Object Oriented qualities to CFaster than Smalltalk at 
>execution time.Many C programmers available that could be trained in OO and 
>C++ extensions. Some say that prior experience with COBOL is better than C.
						     ^^^^^
Are you joking?						     

>C++ Cons 

>Implementations are highly variable across vendors.  For example templates and 
>run-time exception handling are implemented differently by different 
>compilers. Templates are not implemented at all by some vendors.

C++ hasn't been frozen. Templates, exception handling are relatively new features.
Compiler vendors are trying to get these implemented, but it needs some time.


Smalltalk looks great for building commercial applications, and that's why I
want to get into it. But we have to remember that not everything can be done
with a single language.

Julio Marcos
julio@lagrange.amd.com
