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On 2/11/12 11:34 AM, Radek wrote:
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So the question arises: is Erlang still the best platform to
build such demanding applications ? Wouldn't it be better if
we stick to one, very mature (J)VM and try to make it even
better than trying to achieve something similar with less
resources available (size of OTP team vs. JVM team,
supporters, etc) ? And is it possible at all to achieve this
kind of performance and adoption with BEAM ?<br>
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Performance is but one of many aspects of writing a program. Usually
performance is possible, but bounded by human time spent. That is,
if you have limited time, say 3 days, to implement something then
usually the solutions are very different performance wise. One of
the distinct advantages of Erlang is how fast you can build up
prototypes and make them run. This means you have ample time to sit
back and tune your system for better performance. You have more time
to change algorithms and tune for faster execution.<br>
<br>
Another strength of Erlang is that programs can evolve. Adding
another process with a certain responsibility or altering the
internal implementation of a process is easy: the messages passed
forces an API between your components. This yields a system where
you can gradually build it up over time.<br>
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Erlang is a rarely seen triumvirate: fault-tolerance,
distribution+message passing, and functional sequential programming.
You often see other systems implementing one or two of those, but I
have not yet seen all three implemented in another language. This
places Erlang in a niche, and I think many people who do take time
to learn the details enjoy the ideology of Erlang as a fabric for
program construction.<br>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Jesper Louis Andersen
Erlang Solutions Ltd., Copenhagen, DK</pre>
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