Fortran / other language comparisons

[Intel_C_Intel]

Is there anything similar to the (windows) speed benchmarks that are often quoted in magazines for new PC's, that illustrates with some credibility performance comparisons between Fortran and other languages?

I already know about the Fortran compiler comparisons at polyhedron, but would like comparisons with C++ etc.

I know this is difficult, we have some internal benchmarks for our product, which shows Visual Fortran to be excellent for our needs. Are there any published cross language comparisons?

Eddie

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Many people have tried such comparisons in the past, but they don't tell you anything useful. Often, the two programs aren't really the same, or even if they are, the constraints of trying to write a useful benchmark mean that the results can't be extrapolated to real applications.

My point of view is that you should pick the language that 1) You know, and 2) makes the most sense for your application. You can write awful C++ and awful Fortran, as well as high-performance code in either language. Some things are naturally easier in Fortran (especially arrays and floating point computations), though C++ is catching up there. Some things are easier in C++ (object-oriented programming, byte-level file manipulation and memory pointers.)

Often, the decision comes down to what your programming staff knows. Switching languages just because one is trendier than the other is foolhardy and fraught with peril.

Steve