How to make Python run as fast (or faster) than Julia

[bartc]

On 24/02/2018 02:05, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Feb 2018 19:25:35 +0000, bartc wrote:

>> Python is 10 times slower than a competitor = doesn't matter
>> My language is 1.5 times slower than the big boys' = matters
>> a great deal

> As for Python's order-of-magnitude speed difference, thank you for being
> generous.

Actually that comparison was with a competitor, ie. another dynamic 
language, because I understand such languages work in different fields 
from the Cs and C++s.

I'm sure there must be some that are faster (years since I've looked at 
the field), but I vaguely had in mind mine. Although since then, CPython 
has gotten faster.

Note that there are JIT-based implementations now which can give very 
good results (other than PyPy) with dynamic languages.

My own efforts are still byte-code based so are unlikely to get any 
faster. But they are also very simple.

> So it is quite possible to get practical work done and be a competitive,
> useful language despite being (allegedly) a thousand or more times slower
> than C.

Of course. I've been using a dynamic scripting language as an adjunct to 
my compiled applications since the mid 80s. Then they were crude and 
hopelessly slow (and machines were a lot slower too), but they could 
still be tremendously useful with the right balance.

But the faster they are, the more work they can take over.


-- 
bartc