Python's Performance

[Fredrik Lundh]

Donn Cave wrote:

> | > Except it is interpreted.
> |
> | except that it isn't.  Python source code is compiled to byte code, which
> | is then executed by a virtual machine.  if the byte code for a module is up
> | to date, the Python runtime doesn't even look at the source code.
>
> Fair to say that byte code is interpreted?  Seems to require an
> application we commonly call an interpreter.

well, the bytecode isn't Python (the transformation isn't exactly straight-
forward, as we've seen in other posts I've made today).

and even if the bytecode engine used in CPython can be viewed as an inter-
preter, does that make Python an interpreted language?  what about Python
code that uses a runtime that converts it to machine code?  (e.g. Psycho, Iron-
Python).  is it still an interpreter if it generates machine code?

</F>