mix statically typed with dynamically typed

[Steve Holden]

Yingjie Lan wrote:
> We all know that Python is dynamically typed, and dynamically typed languages are generally slower than statically typed ones. I wonder if it is possible at all for Python to mix statically-typed-ness with dynamically-typed-ness to boost up its speed a little bit, especially when speed is needed. For example, you define a function like this:
> 
> def speed(float dist, float time):
>     return dist/time
> 
> then the compiler would generate code to first check parameter types (or even do some casts if appropriate, say cast an int into float) in the beginning of this function. and the rest of the function would then be compiled with the assumption that 'dist' and 'time' are of the type float.
> 
> Of course, dynamically-typed-ness is still the same as before. Python is well known for providing multiple programming paradigms, I wonder if we could also sneak this in nicely.
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> 
>       
Google for "Python function annotations": the features you want are
already there in the language specification.

regards
 Steve
-- 
Steve Holden           +1 571 484 6266   +1 800 494 3119
PyCon is coming! Atlanta, Feb 2010  http://us.pycon.org/
Holden Web LLC                 http://www.holdenweb.com/
UPCOMING EVENTS:        http://holdenweb.eventbrite.com/