I think many people look at GC in the wrong way, as if absolute maximum speed is always the goal. It depends on what the goal is, and GC performance can be as fast as needed or enough. GC is also a convenience, that many may find worthwhile, to not worry about memory management.
Optional GC, also means you are free to go for it manually, if there is really and truly some bit of extra performance needed. In regards to language wars, it's arguably better to make the case of how to make manual memory management more convenient to use, when the optional GC is turned off.
Optional GC, also means you are free to go for it manually, if there is really and truly some bit of extra performance needed. In regards to language wars, it's arguably better to make the case of how to make manual memory management more convenient to use, when the optional GC is turned off.