[Python-Dev] Comparison speed

[Guido van Rossum]

> According to the CVS log, this implementation of do_cmp was installed
> in object.c 2.105, by gvanrossum, on 2001/01/17. What was the specific
> rationale for doing do_cmp in that order?

You can ask me directly, loewis. :-)

I believe that my thinking at the time was that tp_compare should only
be used as a final fallback, just before comparing by address.  This
was consistent with my desire to completely get rid of tp_compare.

But until that is done, I now agree that it makes more sense to try
tp_compare first when a three-way-compare is requested -- especially
in the light of sequence comparison.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)