In This interview Heinz Kabutz the Java Specialist points out something I learned from Mike Cowlishaw, the inventor of the REXX language ... optimizing for today's environment may really suck in tomorrow's environment. Write the most straightforward code you can and give the compiler the chance to optimize.
A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of the idea. John Ciardi