[Python-Dev] Python is faster than C

[Bob Ippolito]

On Apr 5, 2004, at 10:55 PM, Greg Ewing wrote:

>> If nothing else pure python versions of modules:
>> 	(a) serve as great documentation
>> 	(b) are good for psyco
>> 	(c) are good for PyPy
>> 	(d) are good for Pyrex
>> 	(e) are good for Starkiller
>> 	(f) are good for Jython
>> 	(g) are good for IronPython
>
> I've just thought of another one:
>
>         (h) are useful for platforms where there isn't a compiled
>             C version available yet and it's too much hassle to
>             compile it yourself
>
> a case I ran into the other day when I wanted to use the csv
> module from 2.3 with a 2.2 installation on Windows (don't
> ask why). I ended up writing my own Python version of a part
> of it.

Yeah, the backwards portability bit is key, I forgot about that one. 
I've personally ported (read: copied the documentation into a python 
file) itertools to pure python so I could use it (and the sets module) 
from Python 2.2.

-bob