Alain Ketterlin <al...@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr>:
> The real nice thing that makes Julia a different language is the
> optional static typing, which the JIT can use to produce efficient code.
> It's the only meaningful difference with the current state of python.
I'm guessing the two main performance roadblocks for Python are:
1. The dot notation is a hash table lookup instead of a fixed offset to
a vector.
2. The creation of a class instance generates a set of trampolines for
all methods. The trampolines are ordinary fields that can be
overridden.
Both features are critical to Python's "sex appeal;" I wouldn't give
them up for performance gains.
Producing an effective JIT for Python seems like a formidable challenge
but not impossible in principle. After all, the developer *could*
provide that static typing information in, like, 99.9% of the code. That
would be feat worthy of a Millennium Technology Prize. It would be like
having the cake and eating it, too.
Marko
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