Why is "B" so much slower to print than "#"?

Why is System.out.println("b") slower than other prints? (Java)

The perceived performance difference between System.out.println("b") and other print statements isn't inherent to the string itself. The bottleneck likely stems from JVM optimization and output buffering.

JVM Optimization: The JVM aggressively optimizes constant strings. "b" might be inlined, potentially leading to faster execution for some cases, especially within loops. However, this gain is minimal and usually masked by I/O overhead.

Output Buffering: System.out is buffered. Small outputs, like "b", might not immediately trigger a flush, while larger outputs might cause a flush, leading to perceived differences.

Reproducibility is Key: The Stack Overflow question lacks context. The slowdown might be due to other factors in the larger application, like network latency if the output is redirected.

Benchmarking: To accurately measure, use a proper benchmarking tool like JMH (Java Microbenchmark Harness). Raw System.currentTimeMillis() is unreliable.

//Illustrative (NOT a proper benchmark)
long start = System.nanoTime();
for (int i = 0; i < 1000000; i++) System.out.println("b");
long end = System.nanoTime();
System.out.println("Time: " + (end - start) / 1e9 + " seconds");

start = System.nanoTime();
for (int i = 0; i < 1000000; i++) System.out.println("longer string");
end = System.nanoTime();
System.out.println("Time: " + (end - start) / 1e9 + " seconds");

Conclusion: The performance discrepancy is unlikely due to "b" itself. Focus on accurate benchmarking and consider I/O buffering and other contextual factors before drawing conclusions. Use JMH for reliable measurements.