Python scripting [was: Re: emacs speedbar for python mode?]

[Alastair Burt]

pinard at iro.umontreal.ca (François Pinard) writes:

> By the way, and despite I'm awake by now, did someone ever benchmarked
> Python vs Emacs LISP for comparable algorithms, at least speed-wise,
> and maybe memory-wise also?

Doug Bagley did:

  http://www.bagley.org/~doug/shootout/

Skimming through the figures, it seems that XEmacs Lisp takes 60-80% of the
CPU time of Python, whilst taking more memory. The greater memory use is
probably accounted for by the 5MB needed for a virtual machine that also
includes a powerful text editor.  The two languages need a similar number
of lines of code to express the algorithms.  Two other things I notice from
this study:

  * XEmacs would not gain much, if anything, performance-wise from moving
    to a Guile engine for the Lisp code.

  * Ocaml, compiled to native code, is a rocket.  I do not know why this
    language is not more popular.

--- Alastair