Psyco is an unmaintained specializing

just-in-time compiler In computing, just-in-time (JIT) compilation (also dynamic translation or run-time compilations) is a way of executing computer code that involves compilation during execution of a program (at run time) rather than before execution. This may c ...

for pre-2.7 Python originally developed by Armin Rigo and further maintained and developed by Christian Tismer. Development ceased in December, 2011. Psyco ran on BSD-derived operating systems,

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, whi ...

Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lap ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

using

32-bit In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in 32- bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform large calculati ...

Intel-compatible processors. Psyco was written in C and generated only 32-bit x86-based code. Although Tismer announced on 17 July 2009 that work was being done on a second version of Psyco, a further announcement declared the project "unmaintained and dead" on 12 March 2012 and pointed visitors to

PyPy PyPy () is an implementation of the Python programming language. PyPy often runs faster than the standard implementation CPython because PyPy uses a just-in-time compiler. Most Python code runs well on PyPy except for code that depends on CPyth ...

instead. Unlike Psyco, PyPy incorporates an interpreter and a compiler that can generate C, improving its cross-platform compatibility over Psyco.

Speed enhancement

Psyco can noticeably speed up CPU-bound applications. The actual performance depends greatly on the application and varies from a slight slowdown to a 100x speedup. The average speed improvement is typically in the 1.5-4x range, making Python performance close to languages such as

Smalltalk Smalltalk is an object-oriented, dynamically typed reflective programming language. It was designed and created in part for educational use, specifically for constructionist learning, at the Learning Research Group (LRG) of Xerox PARC by Alan ...

and

Scheme A scheme is a systematic plan for the implementation of a certain idea. Scheme or schemer may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''The Scheme'' (TV series), a BBC Scotland documentary series * The Scheme (band), an English pop band * ''The Schem ...

, but still slower than compiled languages such as Fortran, C or some other

JIT Jit (also known as jiti, jit-jive and the Harare beat) is a style of popular Zimbabwean dance music. It features a swift rhythm played on drums and accompanied by a guitar. Jit evolved out many diverse influences, including domestic chimurenga, ...

languages like C# and

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

. Psyco also advertises its ease of use: the simplest Psyco optimization involves adding only two lines to the top of a script: import psyco psyco.full() These commands will import the psyco module, and have Psyco optimize the entire script. This approach is best suited to shorter scripts, but demonstrates the minimal amount of work needed to begin applying Psyco optimizations to an existing program.

References

External links

* * David Mertz's

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article
Make Python run as fast as C with Psyco

psyco notes, Poor Yorick
Free software programmed in Python Python (programming language) implementations Python (programming language) software Software using the MIT license {{Free-software-stub

Speed enhancement

See also

References

External links