Performance boosts (was: New to Python: Features)

[Cameron Laird]

In article <0Er8d.3258$M05.2333 at newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
Andrew Dalke  <dalke at dalkescientific.com> wrote:
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>Then say so.  There are Python to C converters which at best
>give about a 5% speed boost, so the answer to your original
>question would be "yes" but also not be the answer to your
>real question.
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I don't want newcomers to read this in isolation and
conclude that the "speed" of Python falls far short
of that of C.  There are several ways to accelerate
Python-coded executables; some of them, in at least
some circumstances, give increases that far surpass
5% of the original "speed".  At the same time, serious
work in this area doesn't reduce responsibly to a
single figure of merit, so we're all reluctant to
sound like the detergent commercials that promise
"13% new and improved" or whatever it is they say.