Why Python Is So Slow (And What Is Being Done About It) (thenewstack.io)

submitted 5 months ago by dominiquec@lemmy.world to c/python@programming.dev

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[-] MalReynolds@slrpnk.net 65 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

When you need speed in Python, after profiling, checking for errors, and making damn sure you actually need it, you code the slow bit in C and call it.

When you need speed in C, after profiling, checking for errors, and making damn sure you actually need it, you code the slow bit in Assembly and call it.

When you need speed in Assembly, after profiling, checking for errors, and making damn sure you actually need it, you're screwed.

Which is not to say faster Python is unwelcome, just that IMO its focus is frameworking, prototyping or bashing out quick and perhaps dirty things that work, and that's a damn good thing.

[-] souperk@reddthat.com 15 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

While I agree with most of what you say, I have a personal anecdote that highlights the importance of performance as a feature.

I have a friend that studies economics and uses python for his day to day. Since computer science is not his domain, he finds it difficult to optimize his code, and learning a new language (C in this case) is not really an option.

Some of his experiments take days to run, and this is becoming a major bottleneck in his workflow. Being able to write faster code without relying on C is going to have a significant impact on his research.

Of course, there are other ways to achieve similar results, for example another friend is working on DIAS a framework that optimizes pandas in the runtime. But, the point still stands, there are a tonne of researchers relying on python to get quick and dirty results, and performance plays a significant in that when the load of data is huge.

[-] MalReynolds@slrpnk.net 8 points 5 months ago

Sure, I was being mildly facetious, but pointing to a better pattern, the nature of python means it is, barring some extreme development, always going to be an order of magnitude slower than compiled. If you're not going to write even a little C, then you need to look for already written C / FORTRAN / (SQL for data) / whatever that you can adapt to reap those benefits. Perhaps a general understanding of C and a good knowledge of what your Python is doing is enough to get a usable result from a LLM.

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this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2024

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