[Python-ideas] Optimizing builtins

[Cesare Di Mauro]

2011/1/1 Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org>

> Right. That's a much saner solution than trying to generate bulky
> bytecode as Cesare proposed. The advantage of a JIT is also that it
> allows doing these optimizations only in those places where it
> matters.
>
> In general I am not much in favor of trying to optimize Python's
>  bytecode. I prefer the bytecode to be dead simple.


If Python direction is to embrace some JIT technology, I fully agree with
you: it is best to make VM & compiler simpler.

Anyway, and as I already said before, mine were just examples of possible
things that can happen with optimizations.


> This probably makes
> it an easy target for CS majors interested in code generation, and it
> probably is a great exercise trying to do something like that, but
> let's please not confuse that with actual speed improvements to Python
> -- those come from careful observation (& instrumentation) of real
> programs, not from looking at toy bytecode samples. (Most of the
> bytecode improvements that actually made a difference were done in the
> first 5 years of Python's existence.)
>

>  --Guido van Rossum (python.org/~guido)
>

But research never stops. SETUP_WITH is just a recent example.

Also, sometimes completely different ideas can bring some innovation. ;)

Cesare
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