Working on different projects I have the choice of selecting different programming languages, as long as the task is done.
I was wondering what the real difference is, in terms of performance, between writing a program in Python, versus doing it in C.
The tasks to be done are pretty varied, e.g. sorting textfiles, disk access, network access, textfile parsing.
Is there really a noticeable difference between sorting a textfile using the same algorithm in C versus Python, for example?
And in your experience, given the power of current CPU's (i7), is it really a noticeable difference (Consider that its a program that doesnt bring the system to its knees).
It really depends a lot on what your doing and if the algorithm in question is available in Python via a natively compiled library. If it is, then I believe you'll be looking at performance numbers close enough that Python is most likely your answer -- assuming it's your preferred language. If you must implement the algorithm yourself, depending on the amount of logic required and the size of your data set, C/C++ may be the better option. It's hard to provide a less nebulous answer without more information.
Performance differences between Python and C