[nitely]

This is a known issue in py2. On py2 when running in a multi-core machine it'll run ~1.8x slower (depending on what you are doing) than it'll run in a single-core machine. Python 3.2 ships a new GIL[0] fixing the problem.

[0] http://www.dabeaz.com/python/NewGIL.pdf

[tonyarkles]

Dave Beazley! Yes, it was some of his work that inspired my research. Thanks for the reminder!

Edit: That's a beautiful solution to the problem, too. You're still not going to get a performance boost from multiple cores, but you're not going to have it fall flat on its face either.