There are some valid points made in this topic, but I felt the need to add my thoughts.
Firstly, from my own experiences with my '91 Civic HB, I warped my cross-drilled rotors within a year(forget what pads I was using).
I then switched to slotted rotors (street-carbon pads), and they lasted longer(1.5 - 2 years).
Basically, you have a few factors to consider in terms of braking performance.
Tires, pads, surface-area of brake rotor, cooling potential of the rotor, and weight of the car are all variables that will affect your braking performance(I'm sure there are a few I forgot to mention).
tires: stickier tires will help stop the car better than less-stick tires
pads: you want pads that will offer effective gripping when they are both cold & hot. They may be able to work up to 1000F, but if it takes you 30min. to warm them up....
And, if they are effective up to 1000F, but you are using a stock rotor with no venting or cooling, it will be like having a teflon coating on your pads.
rotors: cross-drilled provide great cooling, so if you are auto-crossing, these will help to give you maximum braking potential(but they will not resist warpage as well because they do mot have as much mass to them as a slotted rotor). A slotted rotor provides a bit of cooling thru it's slots and also cleans the pad(but because it is removing a small layer of pad everytime, the pads won't last as long). A stock, vented rotor provides the most surface area(because there is no holes or slots put into it) for a pad to grip, but because the heat has no where to escape to, they will warp easier with heavy usage.
weight: obviously, the heavier the car, the more momentum needs to be stopped. The less weight to stop, the more effective the brakes will be. If you increase the braking potential of the car(grippier tires, grippier pads, bigger rotors, less weight), you will decrease your braking distances.
(granted, after reading some articles in Sport Car Compact, this has not always turned out to be the case)
Basically, as with most things, you have to find the balance that suits your particular needs.
I apologize if I stated some very obvious points, but I tried to cover the major considerations that should be taken when looking into braking performance.
Hope this offers some clarification for you!