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From: info-mac@uw-beaver (info-mac)
Newsgroups: fa.info-mac
Subject: Macintosh language benchmarks
Message-ID: <2136@uw-beaver>
Date: Wed, 7-Nov-84 04:21:17 EST
Article-I.D.: uw-beave.2136
Posted: Wed Nov  7 04:21:17 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 9-Nov-84 05:57:54 EST
Sender: yenbut@uw-beave
Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
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From: Peter Homeier <homeier@AEROSPACE>
Now that there are some languages appearing for programming the Mac, it seems
to be about time to start comparing them.  There have appeared advertisements
for lots of C compilers, MacPascal, FORTH, and BASIC.  I would like to ask
those who have access to these or other languages (especially assembler!) to
try coding and running the Sieve of Eratosthenes prime number program that
appeared in BYTE.  Please send the results to me, and I will compile them and
publish them to the net.

The BYTE article is "Eratosthenes Revisited: Once More through the Sieve", by
Jim Gilbreath and Gary Gilbreath, which appeared in the January 1983 issue,
page 283.

Of course, just this one benchmark has a limited significance, and benchmark
speed is only one of many significant qualities of a language.  Software
engineering principles of clear, structured design and modifiable, maintainable
code may often be more important.  However, speed is also valuable, and it is
at least something which is relatively easy to measure.

				Peter Homeier
		Arpanet:	homeier@aerospace