Python IO performance?

[Asun Friere]

Ganesan R <rganesan at myrealbox.com> wrote in message news:<m3k7c61ktg.fsf at localhost.localdomain>...

> I agree that this case favors perl. It's just that I am used to writing
> quick hacks like this for text processing in perl. After learning python
> I've been resisting my impulse to code them in perl and use python 
> instead.

Why?!  For quick hacks and simple text processing I still reach for
Perl, especially if the task involves regexps.  This is where Perl
shines, after all.  On the other hand if the problem suggests an OO
solution, or even the use slightly complex data structures, Perl
doesn't get a look in.  Hell I've even used Perl to generate some
repetitive Python code!  I think this Perl vs Python loyalty bit is
just a little silly, you know horses for courses and all.  Besides, it
doesn't hurt to do just a little bit of coding in some of the other
languages within your repetoire so that you don't find yourself
thinking, (as I have done on occasion), hmm now does the tilde come
before the equals sign or after it ...