Compiling Just in Time

July 1996 / Reviews / Womb-to-Tomb C++ Development / Compiling Just in Time

Java executables are composed of bytecodes, which the Java virtual machine (VM) interprets to execute the program. Borland's Java VM execution engine incorporat es AppAccelerator, a "just-in-time" compiler, to make Java programs run faster.
When a method is first called, the AppAccelerator compiles the bytecode to x86 machine language in the background and then "hooks" the original method entry point. Consequently, any subsequent time the method is called, you're running native machine code rather than interpreting bytecodes.
Does this do any good outside of the Borland development environment? Netscape recently announced that it's licensing AppAccelerator for i nclusion in upcoming releases of its Navigator Web browser. Your browser might be using the Borland AppAccelerator even as you read this.

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Matthew Wilson
My approach to software engineering is far more pragmatic than it is theoretical--and no language better exemplifies this than C++.

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