[Numpy-discussion] Cython numerical syntax revisited
Dag Sverre Seljebotn
dagss at student.matnat.uio.no
Thu Mar 5 05:41:58 EST 2009
Sturla Molden wrote:
>> Introducing this syntax would actually mean less time to focus on "real
>> usability issues" like that. OTOH, if the syntax I propose is superior,
>> it's better to introduce it early in a long-term perspective.
>>
>
> There is not much difference between
>
> cdef int[:,:] array
>
> and
>
> cdef numpy.ndarray[int, dim=2] array
>
> except that the latter is a Python object. The only minor issue with
> that is the GIL. On the other hand, the former is not a Python object,
> which means it is not garbage collected.
>
As with all syntax, the difference is mostly psychological. The former
means "now I need fast access and will want to hit the metal, and will
no longer look on my array through a NumPy object but through a buffer
view", whether the latter is "let Cython can optimize some of the NumPy
operations".
About garbage collection, int[:,:] would always be a buffer view unto an
underlying object which *would* be garbage collected. I.e. it is *not*
stack-allocated memory; so when you do
cdef np.int_t[:,:] arr = np.zero((10,10), np.int)
then the memory of the array is garbage collected insofar the result of
np.zero is. "arr" simply adds a reference to the underlying object (and
slices add another reference, and so on).
Support for GIL-less programming is on the wanted-list anyway for both
syntaxes though; Cython can now when one does something illegal and only
let through certain uses of the variable, so both syntaxes works for this.
Dag Sverre
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