Psyco Specializing Compiler

[Armin Rigo]

Hello Goh,

On 11 Oct 2001, Goh S H wrote:
>    Great works! you're moving Python into next level, just wonder when
> can I use it in production, light-speed performance. Will it faster
> then Java? or should I should ask will it faster than C/C++? :-)

It will certainly be slower than a good just-in-time compiler for Java
which can operate at much more than 50% of the speed of C. I think that we
can expect roughly one order of magnitude less than C. Currently Python is
two-three orders of magnitude below C. Introducing optimizing compiler
techniques into Psyco, maybe triggered by statistics measuring typical
usage, could one day give Java JIT speed or better.

For "faster than C/C++" there are theoretical techniques available (yes,
again, I guess you don't believe me but again, wait, it will be done one
day --- that's just a much more involved project than Psyco).


A bientot,

Armin.