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javascripttimerappletcountermilliseconds

Possibility of achieving a "higher-than millisecond" precision timer on the web (preferrably using javascript)

I don't need micro or nano precision, .1 millisecond precision would suffice.

Is there a reasonably reliable way to do this? It's not a critical application, sporadic errors due to eventual CPU frequency scaling or something like that are acceptable. I just need to know if it is possible. I did some searching and was unable to find higher than millisecond precision counters except from polling Chrome's native timer constructor.

I also need to achieve it in a "cross-platform and cross-browser" way, so any solution would need to be achievable on most configs.

thanks!

/edit: Status update: I was able to rule out Javascript, Silverlight and Flash.. but what about Java applets? would it be possible to achieve .1 millisecond precision using one?

Solution

  • After putting some more effort into this issue, I've concluded that Java Applets (where System.nanoTime() is available, which gives me more-than-enough precision) are the best option at the moment.

    The compatibility isn't ideal (at least as javascript would be), but most configs already support them, and every common config at least can support them, with a simple download.