On 18 Apr 2005 04:42:17 -0700, Tom Longridge <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > My current Python project involves lots repeatating code blocks, > mainly centred around a binary string of data. It's a genetic > algorithm in which there are lots of strings (the chromosomes) which > get mixed, mutated and compared a lot. > > Given Python's great list processing abilities and the relative > inefficiencies some string operations, I was considering using a list > of True and False values rather than a binary string. > > I somehow doubt there would be a clear-cut answer to this, but from > this description, does anyone have any reason to think that one way > would be much more efficient than the other? (I realise the best way > would be to do both and `timeit` to see which is faster, but it's a > sizeable program and if anybody considers it a no-brainer I'd much > rather know now!) > > Any advice would be gladly recieved. > -- > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list >
Tom, it seems to me that, if efficiency is your main goal, you should store your data as a list of integers, and use the bit-twiddling operators to get at your data. These should be *very* fast, as well as memory efficient. Peace Bill Mill bill.mill at gmail.com -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
