From: graham at sloth.math.uga.edu (Graham Matthews)
Date: 30 Apr 1999 15:53:22 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: <7gcjli$dn2$2@cronkite.cc.uga.edu>
X-UID: 1187                                                  

William Tanksley (wtanksle at dolphin.openprojects.net) wrote:
: Your data is correct (Python is slow for many things, slower than it needs
: to be), but your conclusion is wrong.  Python isn't slow because its
: bytecode engine is slow; actually, although there's a lot of room for
: improvement, its bytecode engine is faster than many of the others out
: there.
: 
: 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.

I don't buy this. As far as I know every function call in Self and
Smalltalk also requires a lookup (just like Python), but both languages
are significantly faster than Python it seems.

graham
-- 
              This ain't no technological breakdown
                 Oh no, this is the road to hell




