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[Python-Dev] Do more at compile time; less at runtime

Ned Batchelder ned at nedbatchelder.com
Tue Dec 11 17:45:48 CET 2012 
On 12/9/2012 5:22 PM, Mark Shannon wrote:
> The current CPython bytecode interpreter is rather more complex than 
> it needs to be. A number of bytecodes could be eliminated and a few 
> more simplified by moving the work involved in handling compound 
> statements (loops, try-blocks, etc) from the interpreter to the compiler.

As with all suggestions to optimize the bytecode generation, I'd like to 
re-iterate the need for a way to disable all optimization, for the sake 
of reasoning about the program.  For example, debugging, coverage 
measurement, etc.  This idea was misunderstood and defeated in 
http://bugs.python.org/issue2506, but I strongly believe it is important.

--Ned.
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