[Python-Dev] C-level duck typing (original) (raw)

R. David Murray rdmurray at bitdance.com
Thu May 17 20:48:10 CEST 2012

On Thu, 17 May 2012 20:13:41 +0200, Dag Sverre Seljebotn <d.s.seljebotn at astro.uio.no> wrote:

Every time Cython becomes able to do stuff more easily in this domain, people thank us that they didn't have to dig up Fortran but can stay closer to Python.

Sorry for going off on a rant. I find that people will give well-meant advice about performance, but that advice is just generalizing from computer programs in entirely different domains (web apps?), and sweeping generalizations has a way of giving the wrong answer.

I don't have opinions on the specific topic under discussion, since I don't get involved in the C level stuff unless I have to, but I do have some small amount of background in scientific computing (many years ago). I just want to chime in to say that I think it benefits the whole Python community to to extend welcoming arms to the scientific Python community and see what we can do to help them (without, of course, compromising Python).

I think it is safe to assume that they do have significant experience with real applications where timings at this level of detail do matter. The scientific computing community is pretty much by definition pushing the limits of what's possible.

--David

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