In strictly language terms, C will always be faster than Java. However, I would dispute that one could say on a general basis that C programs will always be fa

In strictly language terms, C will always be faster than Java. However, I would dispute that one could say on a general basis that C programs will always be faster than Java programs. In fact, I would argue that all things being equal, the Java program is more likely to be faster (and yes, I realize there are a metric ton of potential caveats to what I just said). Why? Because Java allows you to focus on the "big picture" optimizations that really make all the difference. On the other hand, given an infinite amount of development time and experienced developers, the C program will likely be much faster. In some cases this is necessary. But for most cases, I personally would rather just ship something than try to squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of it.