Testing of multithreading and multiprocesing in Python interpreters.

multi_proc.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

"""
Simple module for testing parallel variant of
code using Python multiprocessing
"""

from multiprocessing import Process
import time

def count_down(number):
    """
    Simple function
    """
    while number > 0:
        number -= 1


def __main():
    """
    Main function for setting and evaluating tests.
    """
    count = 100000000
    proc_01 = Process(target=count_down, args=(count//2,))
    proc_02 = Process(target=count_down, args=(count//2,))
    start = time.time()
    proc_01.start()
    proc_02.start()
    proc_01.join()
    proc_02.join()
    end = time.time()
    return end - start


if __name__ == '__main__':
    print(__main())

parallel.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

"""
Simple module for testing parallel variant of
code using Python threading
"""

from threading import Thread
import time

def count_down(number):
    """
    Simple function
    """
    while number > 0:
        number -= 1


def __main():
    """
    Main function for setting and evaluating tests.
    """
    count = 100000000
    thread_01 = Thread(target=count_down, args=(count//2,))
    thread_02 = Thread(target=count_down, args=(count//2,))
    start = time.time()
    thread_01.start()
    thread_02.start()
    thread_01.join()
    thread_02.join()
    end = time.time()
    return end - start


if __name__ == '__main__':
    print(__main())

results.md

Serial x MultiThreading

PyPy (serial)          0.14s
PyPy (parallel)        0.53s
CPython2.6 (serial)    6.80s
CPython2.6 (parallel) 12.44s
CPython2.7 (serial)    6.47s
CPython2.7 (parallel) 12.13s
CPython3.3 (serial)    8.61s
CPython3.3 (parallel) 17.37s
Jython (serial)        2.72s
Jython (parallel)      1.625

Serial x MultiProcessing

PyPy (serial)          0.14s
PyPy (parallel)        0.12s
CPython2.6 (serial)    6.80s
CPython2.6 (parallel)  3.47s
CPython2.7 (serial)    6.47s
CPython2.7 (parallel)  3.34s
CPython3.3 (serial)    8.61s
CPython3.3 (parallel)  4.65s

serial.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

"""
Simple module for testing serial variant of code
"""

import time

def count_down(number):
    """
    Simple function for testing.
    """
    while number > 0:
        number -= 1


def __main():
    """
    Main function for setting and evaluating tests.
    """
    count = 100000000
    start = time.time()
    count_down(count)
    end = time.time()
    return end - start


if __name__ == '__main__':
    print(__main())

For more information look at this presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obt-vMVdM8s