Java Re: Linux on old laptop in two stages

[Bill Ricker]

Yes, Java's recent speed comes from (a) JIT compilation (b) real
static native compilation with optimization (e.g., JRocket) (c)
running on really hot hardware.

(And I do mean hot ... the 3.7GHz chips have more Watts per square
inch than a hot plate! There's a reason you won't see commercial 4GHz
chips in volume production ...)

Applets running in a browser would be able to benefit from JIT if the
browser plugin includes that feature. I haven't checked to see if they
do.

But for learning Java, the speed may not matter as long as the program
(and debugger)  _runs_ .  Assuming they don't want to use
Commandline-only Linux, that probably mean Fluxbox or Xfce or one of
the other lightweight alternative desktops instead of heavyweight
Gnome and KDE, with a Distro optimized for old hardware (Xubuntu, DSL,
Puppy, Vector, ..).

I'm worried Eclipse won't fit on that laptop ... they'll may need to
learn commandline tools and standalone lightweight editors (but pick
one with syntax highlighting at least).

-- 
Bill
n1vux at arrl.net bill.n1vux at gmail.com