[Python-ideas] Exploiting type-homogeneity in list.sort() (again!)

[Elliot Gorokhovsky]

On Sun, Mar 5, 2017 at 8:23 PM David Mertz <mertz at gnosis.cx> wrote:

>
> But also, it's not just the number of list objects that are sorted, but
> how often it's done.  I could have a 10,000 line program with only one call
> to `my_list.sort()` in it... but that one line is something that is called
> inside an inner loop.  This feels like it really needs profiling not just
> static analysis.
>

Totally -- but what I mean is if you look at the performance benchmark
suite, for example, most of the benchmarks do not have the string "sort" in
their source code (IIRC). I think that most applications don't spend most
of their time sorting. That's not to say sorting isn't important -- I
wouldn't have written my patch if I didn't think it is. I'm just saying it
probably isn't a good idea to penalize *all* list use just to benefit the
minority of list use that involves sorting.
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