"Chris Angelico" <ros...@gmail.com> wrote in message news:CAPTjJmrmJjiGMfqui=PpJco7LjtqVpUjj=xnmtybyqemxg3...@mail.gmail.com... > On Sun, Mar 2, 2014 at 4:51 PM, Frank Millman <fr...@chagford.com> wrote: >> Which version are you talking about? >> >> I have an old, slow box running Windows Server 2003 and python 3.3.2. >> >> I have just booted it up now, called up a command prompt, typed 'python' >> to >> start the interpreter, and typed 'import decimal'. The interpreter prompt >> re-appeared in the blink of an eye. >> >> Are you talking about something else? > > I did it in IDLE, which might have added a bit, but not hugely. It was > 3.4.0, so the module in both cases is the C-accelerated version. My > suspicion is that you've used the decimal module already on that > system, so you had a warm cache. When I repeat the exercise, I get > sub-second load times (usually of the order of 100-200ms); the > difference between that and your "blink of an eye" would be to do with > exactness of measurement, CPU/HDD performance, etc, etc, etc. >
I assume by 'warm cache' you mean that I had used the decimal module before and not switched the machine off before trying the above exercise. In my case, the machine was switched off before I started. I switched it on and executed the above steps. To be slightly more precise, instead of 'the blink of an eye', I estimate it was between 250-500 ms. If I close the interpreter and start it up again, it takes maybe 100-200ms. Just to be sure, I switched the machine off and on again, and repeated the exercise. Starting the interpreter for the first time takes 1.5 - 2 seconds. Importing decimal for the first time takes less than 500ms. Frank -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list