"But isn't Java slow?"

[imekul]

I realize this may sound kind of dense, so please bear with me.

I know very little about Android apps, other than to know that they are written in Java (right?).

Anyway, I've always heard people gripe about "Oh, Java is slow. Java's bloated." In my personal experience, I've got to say that I always groan when I have to use a Java app on a website. It has always struck me as slow or clunky.

So because of the past experience with Java and also the negative comments I've read about it over the years, when I heard that Android apps were written in Java, I just wondered if that crippled their performance or potential in any way.

Clearly, I'm not very familiar with Java or with Android itself. But I wonder if somebody who knows a little bit more could help enlighten me.

Is there any truth to Java inherently being slow? Would an Android app have the same potential that, say, an iPhone app would? Is there any performance hit simply because the app is written in Java versus C or whatever?

I realize that obviously the hardware makes a difference. But I'm just wondering if I have the wrong view of Java in the first place. I'm thinking I probably do.

In short, are there any obvious drawbacks from Android apps being written in Java versus C or some other language?

Thanks for reading! I hope his makes enough sense.

 

[ram_sg]

@arnodenhond, in simpler terms, am i right in saying that it really depends more on the 'OS' than the language in which the app is written?

 

[anon(697)]

More that it depends on how the code is compiled and/or interpreted