[Python-Dev] Optionally using GMP to implement long if available

["Martin v. Löwis"]

> One optimization that could be done to the existing Python longobject
> code is to allow it to use larger digits.  Currently it is hardcoded
> to use 15bit digits.
> 
> The most common desktop+server CPUs in the world (x86) all support
> efficient 32bit*32bit -> 64bit multiply so there is no good reason to
> limit python itself to 15bit digits when on either x86 or x86_64.

Perhaps Tim Peters should also comment here - but if you can come up
with a patch that does that in a portable way, I would be in favor.
The challenge, ISTM, is to make it still compile on all systems
(regardless of how inefficient it might be on minor platforms).

Regards,
Martin