[pypy-dev] Is it possible to make PyPy smaller?

[Armin Rigo]

Hi,

On 30 June 2016 at 13:15, Yury V. Zaytsev <yury at shurup.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 30 Jun 2016, Paul Baker wrote:
>> Why is PyPy so much bigger than CPython? Is it possible to build a version
>> of PyPy which is closer to CPython in size?
>
> It may be very well possible with some compilation flags juggling, but
> building PyPy on Windows is not a walk in the park, so you really need to
> consider whether you want to get into it or not...
>
> What is your main concern, however? I would assume, that this DLL compresses
> really well with something like 7z / ultra, does it not? If it's the
> unpacked size that bothers you, you could, for instance, treat the DLL with
> UPX.

Thanks Yury for the answer.  Yes, technically, the PyPy DLL is much
larger than CPython's for a combination of reasons, each adding their
own factor---even if, like you should, you compare libpypy-c.dll with
the total size of python27.dll and all other .pyd files.  In the end
the libpypy-c.dll is probably more compressible than CPython's, so by
compressing it you regain some of that factor.  You don't regain all
of it by far, though.  You don't get a complex JIT compiler for free,
for example.


A bientôt,

Armin.