Section 1: Motivation

The “EliteBook” Challenge: Modern Java on a 2008 Dual-Core

In the world of 2026, we are often told that modern software requires modern hardware. Java, in particular, carries a reputation for being “heavy”—a memory-hungry giant that needs a massive runtime just to say “Hello World.”

But what if we could strip away that overhead?

I decided to run a stress test on my HP EliteBook 2530p. This machine is a relic from 2008, powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo (2 threads, no hyperthreading) and 8GB of DDR2 RAM. By modern standards, it should be a paperweight. By my standards, it’s the perfect laboratory.