More specifically, the problem of trying to write a binary compatible java implementation of a neatly optimized solution written in C. So, the program in questi

More specifically, the problem of trying to write a binary compatible java implementation of a neatly optimized solution written in C. So, the program in question is executed, reads a whole bunch of binary data from a whole bunch of different files, does some calculations on that data and then exits. The questions are, if you had to develop a distributed version control system in java: a) would you solve it the same way, b) would your solution be faster or slower, and c) would it take more or less time to write it and be easier to maintain? Clearly you would not solve it the same way, for example it might stick around in memory as you worked. Could it then appear faster, from a user's perspective? Possibly. Might it be easier to maintain. Also possible. Pretty much by definition, if you are writing it in C, a binary compatible solution is not going to run as fast if you port it to java. I don't think that is a conclusion that has much value.