swarmik:50-linetext mode on a gas-plasma screenI took thisphoto while working on the MS QuickBasic v
swarmik:50-linetext mode on a gas-plasma screenI took thisphoto while working on the MS QuickBasic version of our benchmark (previouslywritten in C and Assembly). The goal was to compare speed of differentlanguages and compilers. This required me to relearn BASIC so I always neededto see online help, my BASIC code and the original C code on a single screen. Switchinga screen into the VGA 80x50-character mode is invaluable in these situations.Regarding the results: I tested all versions of our benchmark, which is mostly about integer performance and memory access (similar to compiling and XML parsing), on this IBM PS/2 P70 with a 20-MHz 386 (DX). Interpreted QuickBasic 4.5 version was used as a baseline (1x). These are the speed-ups:Compiled QuickBasic = 3xBorland C++ (8086 instructions) = 15xBorland C++ (386 instructions) = 33xHand-tuned Assembly (386 protected mode) = 70xMetaware High C/C++ (386 protected mode) = 70x -- source link