[Python-Dev] Let's change to C API!

[Stefan Behnel]

Antoine Pitrou schrieb am 11.08.2018 um 15:19:
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2018 19:15:11 +0200 Armin Rigo wrote:
>> Currently, the C API only allows Psyco-style JITting (much slower than
>> PyPy).  All three other points might not be possible at all without a
>> seriously modified C API.  Why?  I have no proof, but only
>> circumstantial evidence.  Each of (2), (3), (4) has been done in at
>> least one other implementation: PyPy, Jython and IronPython.  Each of
>> these implementation has also got its share of troubles with emulating
>> the CPython C API.  You can continue to think that the C API has got
>> nothing to do with it.  I tend to think the opposite.  The continued
>> absence of major performance improvements for either CPython itself or
>> for any alternative Python implementation that *does* support the C
>> API natively is probably proof enough---I think that enough time has
>> passed, by now, to make this argument.
> [...]
> That leaves us with CPython and PyPy, which are only two data points.
> And there are enough differences, AFAIK, between those two that picking
> up "supports the C API natively" as the primary factor leading to a
> performance difference sounds arbitrary.

IMHO, while it's not clear to what extent the C-API hinders performance
improvements or jittability of code in CPython, I think it's fair to assume
that it's easier to improve internals when they are internal and not part
of a public API. Whether it's worth the effort to design a new C-API, or at
least make major changes to it, I cannot say, lacking an actual comparable
implementation of such a design that specifically targets better performance.

As it stands, extensions can actually make good use of the fact that the
C-API treats them (mostly, see e.g. PEPs 575/580) as first class citizens
in the CPython ecosystem. So, the status quo is at least a tradeoff.

Stefan