-* Using non-perl syntax highlighting backends is slow. I'd prefer either
- using a perl module, or a multiple-backend solution that can use a perl
- module as one option. (Or, if there's a great highlighter python module,
- we could use an external plugin..)
+* Using non-perl syntax highlighting backends is slower. All things equal,
+ I'd prefer either using a perl module, or a multiple-backend solution that
+ can use a perl module as one option. (Or, if there's a great highlighter
+ python module, we could use an external plugin..)
+
+ Of course, some perl modules are also rather slow.. Kate, for example
+ can only process about 33 lines of C code, or 14 lines of
+ debian/changelog per second. That's **30 times slower than markdown**!
+
+ By comparison, source-highlight can do about 5000 lines of C code per
+ second... And launching the program 100 times on an empty file takes about
+ 5 seconds.
+