java acedb database

[Jean Thierry-Mieg]

> Dear java/gnu herders
> 
> I am one of the main authors of ACEDB (http://www.acedb.org), an object 
> oriented database system which has been used worldwide for the human 
> genome project (http://www.aceview.org)
> The code is in C, about 250k lines, runs on any unix ever tested, and is 
> freely distributed under gnu-licence
> 
> Because the code is now 15 years old, and single threaded, I consider 
> redesigning it.
> 
> The natural choice of language may be C++, but it seems to me that Java 
> class hierarchy and variable scoping
> are preferable to C++.  However, untill recently, Java could not be 
> considered because a database kernel has to be compiled in native 
> machine code, interpreted byte code is necessarily too slow.
> 
> Here are my questions,
> 
> 1) considering the development of  GCJ (gcc-java) would you recemmend 
> Java to write a large code where performance is crucial.  Critical 
> operations are sorting, hashing, string searches. How would the speed 
> compare to dedicated C code.
> 
> 2) Will Java provide a performant implementation of multi threading.
> 
> 3) Is it true that, using GCJ, Iwill be able to compile on (nearly) any 
> unix machine (ibm,sun,mac,hp,intel....)
> 
> 
> 
> Separatelly, if i redesignh acedb i would like to integrate it better 
> within the efforts of the gnu fundation. I do not think that gnu has 
> anything so far duplicating the  scope and performance of acedb  and  
> would like to get in touch  with somebody who might be interested 
> in this project.
> 
> yours
> 
> Jean Thierry-Mieg
> National Center for Bioinformatics
> NCBI. NLM. NIH Bldg 38A
> 8600 Rockville Pike
> Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
> Tel   1 (301) 435 49 21   Fax   1 (301) 480 92 41
>