Sun Microsystems Inc has hit the Java benchmark tennis ball back into the Wintel court claiming that Java running inside Solaris outperforms Java inside Windows by more than 700%. Sun used Pendragon Software Inc’s Caffeine Mark test, but also its own WebServer, Raytrace and Javac tests, which its trying to push through the Systems Performance Evaluation Council (SPEC) group to establish a SPEC Java set of benchmarks. Sun used early access version of its Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler and Java Workshop 2.0 development environment to achieve the numbers. SunSoft says it, like all licensees of Java, is tweaking the basic virtual machine and compiler to run best in Solaris on Sparc and Intel chips, but it is not changing the Java APIs is any way to give it an advantage – its only advantage is that it can call JavaSoft internally, it jokes. Sun is also preparing for release some of the tools that came under the umbrella name Project Speedway. Ice Tea, Sun’s Java-to-C/C++ middleware for connecting Java client, applets and objects to back-end legacy application over TCP/IP, and Twin Peaks, which enables developers to use C/C++ libraries in Java will both go into early access in the Fall. The HotSpot super-fast compiler that Sun with its acquisition of Longview Technologies LLC back in February will be integrated into Solaris when its ready, which is expected later this year for developers and early next year as a standalone product (CI No 3,181). The WebServer test is Sun’s HTTP server; Raytrace is a 3D modeling and highlighter program, and Javac is a compiler that involves a lot of I/O, according to Sun. With a 200MHz UltraSparc-based machine running Solaris version 2.6 and 128 Mb RAM facing off against a 200MHz Pentium Pro box running Windows NT 4.0, the Sun machines outstripped Wintel by 149% in the CaffeineMark test – or two and a half times as fast, depending on which way you prefer (13,920 against 5,661); 46% faster in WebServer, 650% Raytrace; 691% in Javac. Solaris-on-Intel outstrips Wintel by 59% in CaffeineMarks (9,029 against 5,661); 17% in WebServer; 289% in Raytrace and 691% for the Javac test, according to Sun’s figures.
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