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I find this an interesting post, but I must partially disagree. Performance is not always the the primary issue in programming. Using python I am much more wo

I find this an interesting post, but I must partially disagree. Performance is not always the the primary issue in programming. Using python I am much more worried about code readability, maintainability, and programmer speed than I am code speed. And Python certainly is designed in a way that makes true high performance somewhat challenge. If I were ever truly concerned about maximizing performance, I would use C++ or similar. On the other hand, performance is always a consideration. It should never be totally forgotten about. For instance, if you will be using a single regex pattern multiple times in a program (or putting it in a loop) the performance increase from compiling it once is noticeable and does not subtract from any of the other attributes. Similarly, in many cases a list comprehension will be faster than an equivalent for loop. Python performance is not a fool's errand, but I do think that people programming in python should realize they are making something of a trade off (unladen swallow and future research may partially change this in the future.) (Edited to fix spelling typo.)

krakensden 17y ago
Performance is not always the the primary issue in programming Except when it is, python rapidly becomes depressing. Try writing a game in python/pygame, for instance, and watch how quickly things get out of hand.
- l0nwlf 17y ago
  Well, I code python for ease of use and readability. Every language has its pros and cons. To be frank speed was never a forte of python but it was never meant to be as such. If you need speed there are options available, use them. However C have a faster run-time and slow development time. There are issues in all languages. However there is always a favourite language. Mine is python :)
- timwiseman 17y ago
  True, some times performance is the primary issue, but not always. When it is, Python is probably simply not the right langauge. Unladen swallow and future developments may change this, but for now if performance is a major issue than Python is not for you. C++ is generally a much better option for that, and there are a few that are even faster if you are willing and knowledgeable enough to do the optimizations.
- mkramlich 17y ago
  I wrote a 2D real-time spaceship shooter in Python with PyGame (called Ganymede, maybe a link from my site) and found the performance excellent. Most of the hard bits are done by native code or hardware anyway. Plus your application architecture has a big impact on performance. And number of polys or entities, etc. Perhaps trying to write a state-of-the-art 3D FPS would yield poor performance, is that more what you were talking about?

krakensden 17y ago

Performance is not always the the primary issue in programming Except when it is, python rapidly becomes depressing. Try writing a game in python/pygame, for instance, and watch how quickly things get out of hand.

l0nwlf 17y ago
Well, I code python for ease of use and readability. Every language has its pros and cons. To be frank speed was never a forte of python but it was never meant to be as such. If you need speed there are options available, use them. However C have a faster run-time and slow development time. There are issues in all languages. However there is always a favourite language. Mine is python :)
timwiseman 17y ago
True, some times performance is the primary issue, but not always. When it is, Python is probably simply not the right langauge. Unladen swallow and future developments may change this, but for now if performance is a major issue than Python is not for you. C++ is generally a much better option for that, and there are a few that are even faster if you are willing and knowledgeable enough to do the optimizations.
mkramlich 17y ago
I wrote a 2D real-time spaceship shooter in Python with PyGame (called Ganymede, maybe a link from my site) and found the performance excellent. Most of the hard bits are done by native code or hardware anyway. Plus your application architecture has a big impact on performance. And number of polys or entities, etc. Perhaps trying to write a state-of-the-art 3D FPS would yield poor performance, is that more what you were talking about?