From: markus_kohler at hp.com (Markus Kohler)
Date: 29 Apr 1999 10:17:41 +0200
Subject: Python IS slow ! [was] Re: Python too slow for real world
References: <613145F79272D211914B0020AFF6401914DAD8@gandalf.digicool.com> <p5g15lmb35.fsf@bidra241.bbn.hp.com> <slrn7ieipq.8uk.wtanksle@dolphin.openprojects.net>
Message-ID: <p57lqvn8m2.fsf@bidra241.bbn.hp.com>
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X-UID: 863                                                  

>>>>> "William" == William Tanksley <wtanksle at dolphin.openprojects.net> writes:

[deletia]
    William> Your data is correct (Python is slow for many things,
    William> slower than it needs to be), but your conclusion is
    William> wrong.  Python isn't slow because its bytecode engine is
    William> slow; actually, although there's a lot of room for
    William> improvement, its bytecode engine is faster than many of
    William> the others out there.

It seems to me that *most* of the byte code engine is ok. 

    William> The reason it's slow is its runtime model.  _Every_
    William> function call requires a lookup in a hash table, just on
    William> the off-chance that the programmer changed the meaning of
    William> the function.

That is the same in Smalltalk (squeak). You can build new classes and new
methods at runtime and everything still works as expected. 

    >> It seems to me that without a redesign of at least the bytecode
    >> for function calls python's speed will not take off.

    William> Bytecode won't help enough -- the whole calling model
    William> needs to be examined.  Fortunately, that's one of the
    William> things the 2.0 design process will be looking at.  Like
    William> you, I hope that they consider Smalltalk as an example.

I hope so too. My point was exactly that the bytecode for doing the 
function call seems to be the problem. 

    William> And Oberon (SlimBinaries), and Eiffel (typing and general
    William> compile-time error catching), and ...

  OPTIONAL types would be cool. 


Markus

-- 
Markus Kohler  mailto:markus_kohler at hp.com




