Mutable numbers

[Magnus Lycka]

Suresh Jeevanandam wrote:
> # I am new to python.
[...]
> In any application most of the operation is numerical. So, i think, we 
> should get a good speed advantage with the availability of mutable 
> numbers. What do you think ?

If you are new to Python, I think you should try to learn how to
use it well, and rest assured that the smart people who have been
working on it for 15 years have done a pretty good job at making
it perform well, with respect to the basic design decisions.

Runtime performance has never been the prime goal for Python. It's
always been more important with clarity, easy of use and programmer
productivity. CPUs get faster and faster, but programmers don't get
smarter and smarter...

Still, it's quite possible to write very capable programs in Python.
For intense number crunching, it's often helpful to use some good
library written in C though, whether it's NumPy or some cryptographic
library.