IronPython vs CPython: faster in 1.6 times?

[Jean-Paul Calderone]

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:22:39 -0500, "Mike C. Fletcher" 
> [snip]
>
>PyPy is attempting to address this issue via a separate interpreter, but
>it's currently just playing catch-up on performance most of the time.
>It does have a JIT, and might one day be fast enough to be a usable
>replacement for CPython, but it will require a lot of developer-years to
>get it there, most likely.

Actually, PyPy is just about (within a factor of 2 for most things) as
fast as CPython right now.  A bigger hurdle is the availability of
extension modules.

>
>It would be really nice if PyPy could get Python 2.5 running say 5x
>faster and then run with that.  With that Python would open out into
>entire new areas of applicability, becoming reasonable as an embedded
>language, or a systems language.  Only 2x slower than C would make
>Python pretty close to a perfect language...

That'd be pretty great, certainly.  Work on the JIT is continuing and
some PyPy developers have expressed some optimism about having something
which is faster than CPython by the end of this year.

Still, I'd be using PyPy for things today if it had the extension modules
that I rely on now.

Jean-Paul