[Python-Dev] Adding pymalloc to the core (Benchmarking "fun" (was Re: Python 2.1 slower than 2.0))

[Michael Hudson]

"M.-A. Lemburg" <mal@lemburg.com> writes:

> Thomas Wouters wrote:
> > 
> > On Fri, Feb 02, 2001 at 11:00:28AM +0100, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
> > 
> > > There would be a need for a PEP if we need to discuss APIs,
> > > interfaces, etc. but all this has already been done by Valdimir
> > > a long time ago. He put much effort into getting the Python
> > > malloc macros to work in the intended way so that pymalloc only
> > > has exchange these macro definitions.
> > 
> > > I don't understand why we cannot take the risk of trying this
> > > out in an alpha version. Besides, Vladimir's malloc patch
> > > is opt-in: you have to compile Python using --with-pymalloc
> > > to enable it, so it doesn't really harm anyone not knowing what
> > > he/she is doing.
> > 
> > +1 on putting it in, in alpha2 or beta1, on an opt-in basis. +0 on putting
> > it in *now* (alpha2, not beta1) and on by default.
> 
> Anyone else for adding it now on an opt-in basis ?

Yes.  I also want to try adding it in and then scrapping the free list
management done by ints, frames, etc. and seeing if it this results in
any significant slowdown.  Don't have time for another mega-benchmark
just now though.

Cheers,
M.

-- 
3. Syntactic sugar causes cancer of the semicolon.
  -- Alan Perlis, http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/perlis-alan/quotes.html