Theoretical threshold of improving Python's performance

[Paul Rubin]

Siegfried Gonzi <siegfried.gonzi at kfunigraz.ac.at> writes:
> I got a private email where I can read that Python can be never made as
> fast as Common Lisp due to Python's dynamic nature. May I ask  without
> any ulterior-motive: "Has the beformentioned proposition any value?".

I think there may be some truth to it even without declarations in CL.
For example, in CL you'd often use a defstruct to do something that
you'd use a class instance for in Python.  Accessing a member variable
is then like an array reference in CL, but takes a dictionary lookup
in Python.  

I think Python can evolve to be about where CL now is in terms of
compiled code speed, though.  And as it is, compiled CL would probably
beat Python (compiled by some hypothetical compiler), but not by 10x
or anything like that.