In Python, do you prioritize performance or code readability? While some projects use optimized C extensions, pure Python code is often preferred for readability and rapid prototyping. Which do you find more critical? Or is striking a balance between the two more important? What has been your experience?
Is speed more important in Python, or readability?
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So what are the real "bottlenecks" in systems anyway? After 20 years of Linux administration, I’ve found that most performance issues actually boil down to I/O waits, bad algorithms, or unnecessary syscalls. Sure, some people show Python code speeding up 10x with a C extension, but in my experience, those optimizations only matter in very specific cases—like compression, hash calculations, or heavy math.
The scenario I see more often is this: If a function in your code is called 1,000 times per second, increasing its line count from 5 to 20 might only cost you 1% in performance—but the maintenance cost skyrockets. I once sped up a log parser by 30% with a C module, but three months later, my new dev team spent five hours debugging it. The balance is almost always there.