[mod_python] Questions about PSP vs other solutions

Luis M. Gonzalez luismg at gmx.net
Fri Feb 17 08:30:52 EST 2006


Hi there,

I would highly appreciate if someone sheds some light over these questions I 
have...
I've been reading an old post from 2003, where Sterling Hughes, Rimon Barr 
and others were discussing about
the convenience, advantages and disadvantages of including PSP into 
mod_python ("supporting modular mod_python extensions vs."folding" mod_psp")
There were many parts that seemed to contradict each point of view, but I 
selected two paragraphs that best illustrate the issue:


Sterling Hugues:
"PSP is a very small, very fast alternative, it doesn't preclude you from
using any of the listed solutions.  In fact you can use PSP in
conjunction with any of the solutions listed, or you can even ignore its
existence altogether and use something else, or code directly with
req.write().  There is *zero* performance loss if you choose to use
another option, like spyce."

Rimon Barr:
"I saw that you were working on a C-based
parser for psp, and I asked you whether you were interested in working
on such a parser for the Spyce language. The rationale is that although
the parser does not matter much for performance, because the compiled
files are cached, it would be nice as an option for developers, since
the current Spyce parser is implemented in Python and is relatively
slow. I also, thinking that you work with the Apache Foundation, I
offered to donate Spyce to the AF. Donating to the AF does not mean, in
my mind, merging the Spyce and mod_python projects."


So both seem to agree in that being PSP a c-based parser is a good thing, 
because it is very fast.
However, both of them consider also that it doesn't matter, because the 
compiled files are cached (?)
and there's *zero* performance lost when choosing another option.
Hence, what's the advantage of using PSP?
If using any other solution has zero performance lost, why bother in writing 
a c-based parser?

Maybe I lost some important detail of the discussion, or my limited english 
played against me, but isn't it contradictory?

Luis



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