From: tjreedy at udel.edu (Terry Reedy)
Date: 29 Apr 1999 14:35:04 GMT
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: <7g9qmo$luf$1@news.udel.edu>
X-UID: 728                                                  

In article <slrn7ieipq.8uk.wtanksle at dolphin.openprojects.net>, 
wtanksle at dolphin.openprojects.net says...

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

A batch-mode optimizer analyzing an entire file (module) should be able to 
detect whether or not function names are rebound.

Perhaps module bindings should be considered immutable from outside the 
module unless explicitly declared otherwise.  (This would of course require a 
new keyword and would break the rare existing code that does this until the 
new directive was added.)

TJR





