Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PyPy VS GNU Make

Compare PyPy VS GNU Make and see what are their differences

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PyPy logo PyPy

PyPy is a fast, compliant alternative implementation of the Python language (2.7.1).

GNU Make logo GNU Make

GNU Make is a tool which controls the generation of executables and other non-source files of a program from the program's source files.
  • PyPy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-15
  • GNU Make Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-12

PyPy features and specs

  • Performance
    PyPy is known for its superior execution speed and performance, often outperforming the standard CPython interpreter for many workloads thanks to its Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation strategy.
  • Compatibility
    PyPy aims to be compatible with standard Python, so many programs and libraries that run on CPython should work on PyPy without or with minimal changes.
  • Memory Efficiency
    Due to its garbage collection mechanism, PyPy often results in lower memory usage as compared to CPython, which can be beneficial for memory-intensive applications.
  • Concurrency
    PyPy provides better support for concurrency, including potentially avoiding some of the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) performance issues present in CPython.

Possible disadvantages of PyPy

  • Compatibility Limitations
    Although PyPy aims to be compatible with Python, not all extensions and libraries available for CPython work flawlessly with PyPy, particularly those relying on C extensions.
  • Startup Time
    PyPy has a slower startup time than CPython due to the JIT compilation overhead, which could be a downside for scripts primarily dealing with short-lived processes.
  • Larger Memory Footprint
    While PyPy can be more memory efficient in the long term, the JIT compilation process can result in a larger initial memory footprint which could affect applications with limited memory resources.
  • Platform Support
    PyPy might not support all platforms or the latest Python features immediately, potentially causing issues for users relying on cutting-edge Python developments or specific system architectures.

GNU Make features and specs

  • Portability
    GNU Make is highly portable and can be used across various Unix-like operating systems as well as on Windows.
  • Dependency Management
    It efficiently handles complex dependencies between various parts of the software, ensuring that changes are propagated properly.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source software, GNU Make is freely available and can be modified according to user needs.
  • Wide Adoption
    It is widely adopted in the industry, which means that there is extensive documentation and a large community for support.
  • Efficiency
    GNU Make speeds up the build process by only recompiling the necessary parts of the codebase.

Possible disadvantages of GNU Make

  • Complex Syntax
    The syntax of GNU Makefiles can become very complex, especially for large projects, making them hard to read and maintain.
  • Limited Cross-Platform Scripting
    While the tool itself is cross-platform, Makefiles can sometimes include shell commands that are not portable.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Beginners may find it challenging to grasp the concepts and syntax of GNU Make, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Debugging Difficulty
    Debugging Makefiles can be difficult, with limited tools available to trace or step through the make process.
  • Performance Bottlenecks
    For extremely large projects, performance can become an issue, as the evaluation of dependencies might become slow.

Analysis of GNU Make

Overall verdict

  • Yes, GNU Make is a robust and reliable tool for managing build processes. Its long-established reputation and widespread use in both open-source and commercial projects underline its effectiveness and flexibility.

Why this product is good

  • GNU Make is widely used because it automates the build process, efficiently handling dependencies and detecting minimal sets of changes in source files. It is highly customizable, supports non-recursive builds, and integrates well into various development environments.

Recommended for

  • Software developers working on C/C++ projects
  • Teams looking to automate build processes
  • Projects that require cross-platform build capabilities
  • Developers who prefer command-line tools
  • Open-source project maintainers

PyPy videos

PyPy - the hero we all deserve. - Amit Ripshtos - PyCon Israel 2019

More videos:

  • Review - Using the PyPy runtime for Python
  • Review - How PyPy runs your program

GNU Make videos

No GNU Make videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PyPy and GNU Make)
Website Builder
100 100%
0% 0
JS Build Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Development
32 32%
68% 68
Front End Package Manager

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PyPy seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 9 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

PyPy mentions (9)

  • CPython Internals Explained
    There are quite a few JITs: JIT-compiler for Python https://pypy.org/ Python enhancement proposal for JIT in CPython https://peps.python.org/pep-0744/ And there are several JIT-compilers for various subsets of Python, usually with focus on numerical code and often with GPU support, for example Numba https://numba.pydata.org/numba-doc/dev/user/jit.html Taichi Lang https://github.com/taichi-dev/taichi. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Pydrofoil: Accelerating Sail-based instruction set simulators
    Gains than using either compiler alone. This uses the PyPy JIT framework to speed up a RISC-V simulator. https://pypy.org/ https://github.com/pydrofoil/pydrofoil Pydrofoil: A fast RISC-V emulator generated from the Sail model, using PyPy's JIT. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • One Billion Nested Loop Iterations
    "On average, PyPy is 4.4 times faster than CPython 3.7." https://pypy.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Are my HPC professors right? Is Python worthless compared to C?
    If you're going the pure Python route, don't forget to try PyPy[1], an alternative JITed implementation of the language. A seriously underrated project, IMHO. Most time it speeds up execution by a factor of 2x-4x, but improvements of about two orders of magnitude are not unheard of. See for example [2]. Numeric, long-running code shoud suit PyPy optimizations well. [1] https://pypy.org/ [2]... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Yes, Ruby is fast, butโ€ฆ
    Python: My Python-foo is limited, so I only ported the last problem (a simple while loop) and ran it with PyPy. It takes a bit less of time:. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
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GNU Make mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of GNU Make yet. Tracking of GNU Make recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PyPy and GNU Make, you can also consider the following products

cx_Freeze - cx_Freeze is a set of scripts and modules for freezing Python scripts into executables in much the...

CMake - CMake is an open-source, cross-platform family of tools designed to build, test and package software.

bbfreeze - create stand-alone executables from python scripts

SCons - SCons is an Open Source software construction toolโ€”that is, a next-generation build tool.

Numba - Numba gives you the power to speed up your applications with high performance functions written...

SBT - SBT is a build tool for Scala, like Ant or Maven but with hieroglyphics.