Re: Java is slower than C++!


"Twisted" <twisted0n3@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1181527133.881023.86360@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Jun 10, 5:12 pm, "Karl Uppiano" <karl.uppi...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Lars Enderin" <lars.ende...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:466C6774.4010604@xxxxxxxxxxxx

I made a mistake in my comment. I think you were the one who thought it
ridiculous to even try to google for "Ant", and it was in this very
newsgroup (comp.lang.java.programmer).

I think the rule should be, Google first, then ask. I am seldom
disappointed
with Google results, even for obscure references.

Obscure references aren't the problem, if they are just plain obscure,
but fairly specific. For those, there's nothing better than Google --
there's a reason "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" never had a "search
Google" lifeline. ;)

*Ambiguous* references are the problem, especially when there's a) a
very common meaning and b) a very obscure one and you're fairly
certain the latter is meant. The expectation is that common meaning
usages will dominate the search results, and worse, even if various
different meanings or usages are apparent from the results, it still
may not be clear which of these is the one. On occasion, there are
exceptions, but obviously they can't be counted on.

If you know "ant" is Java-related, a search for "ant" may well turn up
a reference to the Java-related one as well as the bug, and you can
recognize the relevant usage from the two. That apparently does occur,
but it's the exception to the rule, not the rule. Moreover, the same
thing that lets you tell which "ant" results are the "right" results
also lets you use a better query to begin with, e.g. "ant java".

If you know very little about "Go", other than that someone didn't
apparently mean the usual thing by it, a bunch of Google results some
of which refer to travel, some to the board game, and some to who
knows what else won't elucidate matters any. In this case, it may be
the case that "computer go" would give a useful result set focused
around the game; then again it might not, since "go" is such a common
word. (An actual test produces mostly references to game software and
AI, but there are some unrelated results mixed in as well, in the
first ten hits.) Some browsing might reveal that the game software and
AI problem are connected, and suggest that it fits in with the
computer chess I mentioned, but who has time for that much random link-
chasing with precious little indication of what was meant? I for one
am not bothered if I say something like I did and someone asks me for
clarification! It takes me less time to provide it, civilly at that,
than it would probably take them to do a bunch of searches, follow
some links, and guess, and they end up with a truly certain answer
besides, since it comes from the horse's mouth. Much more efficient
use of man-hours.

And of course there's the cases, the vast majority, where it's
completely useless. Consider "woody":

Woody Allen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Woody - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheriff Woody, a character in the Toy Story movies; ...

Welcome to the Official Woody Guthrie Website

Official Woody Guthrie web site

Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 "woody" Release Information

WOODY'S TORONTO

Woody Woodpecker DVD

Woody's Office Portal - wopr.com

Woody Harrelson

Woody's Tavern - Ft. Worth, TX

There's a ton of "woody" hits. In the top ten hits, reprinted above,
are nine different meanings: three different celebrities, two
different fictional characters from animated films, two different bar-
type venues in separate cities (and most of the 6.5 billion potential
searchers are nowhere near either and nowhere near rich enough to
travel to either on a whim, besides), one office-supplies company (or
something; with a cute War Games reference -- how did they, of all
people, manage to snag THAT domain name? Arrrgh! I wanted it), and one
piece of software.

If it had come up in a computer discussion, without elaboration, good
luck. The Debian distro would probably be the correct reference (and
it's the one I was thinking of when I picked it for my test case).
It's lucky that Debian Woody is even in the top ten results, given the
numerous less obscure meanings of this common English word. The office
supplies hit is another candidate, since computers are among the
commonest of office tools; if "woody" came up in a discussion around
the water cooler or on the internal Usenet server at the office, it
would be a strong candidate indeed. And given the penchant people have
for slipping pop culture references in all kinds of places however
irrelevant they may be there, you'd not be able to discount the
celebrities and fictional characters entirely. That means you'd
eliminate the tavern and the club and leave 8 possible hits, with 7
different meanings.

Not looking good.

I rest my case.

(Interesting that the slang meaning of "woody" that is R-rated doesn't
crop up. Is Google biasing its results for common terms against
pornographic results, and perhaps in favor of tech-related results?)

Yeah, I get all that, and I have had some frustration when searching for
specific things, but far more often than not, Google does turn up results
that answer my question. At worst, it gives me a bunch of interesting links,
if I'm looking for some entertaining reading! :-)


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Java is slower than C++!
    ... I think the rule should be, Google first, then ask. ... Obscure references aren't the problem, if they are just plain obscure, ... different meanings or usages are apparent from the results, ... Woody Allen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ...
    (comp.lang.java.programmer)
  • Re: Java is slower than C++!
    ... I think the rule should be, Google first, then ask. ... Obscure references aren't the problem, if they are just plain obscure, ... around the game; then again it might not, since "go" is such a common ... Woody Allen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ...
    (comp.lang.java.programmer)
  • Re: Teaching Evolution In Schools
    ... > unequivocal evidence for evolution but such evidence is never ... > of more than 40,000 journal references. ... there are numerous papers describing such events. ... A google scholar search on "macroevolution" ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Multiple IP addresses and certificate "common name"
    ... i.e. have a valid References: header to allow them to be ... hard when neither attribution nor References: ... they all know that it is much more than just something from Google. ... "I'd make sure that each was using a different queue". ...
    (comp.mail.sendmail)
  • Re: QQRe: Bonus Quiz
    ... as numerous other references to her over many years in precisely the same ... Somewhere on google there's also ... i owned the original recording (robert craft conducting the complete ... reg, get yourself a grip on reality somewhere distanced from your wet ...
    (rec.music.opera)