[[!comment format=mdwn
 username="yarikoptic"
 avatar="http://cdn.libravatar.org/avatar/f11e9c84cb18d26a1748c33b48c924b4"
 subject="comment 4"
 date="2020-07-18T04:49:49Z"
 content="""
and since debian standalone is a \"static\" installation, most likely all the dance in `runshell` could be avoided upon every invocation and paths could be computed/recorded at installation time and then shim could be as lean as what I get with

```shell
$> rm -rf /tmp/fastannex; mkdir /tmp/fastannex; for f in /usr/lib/git-annex.linux/bin/git-annex{,-shell}; do echo -e \"#\!/bin/sh\nGIT_ANNEX_DIR=/usr/lib/git-annex.linux/ GIT_ANNEX_LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/git-annex.linux//usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gconv:/usr/lib/git-annex.linux//usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/audit:/usr/lib/git-annex.linux//etc/ld.so.conf.d:/usr/lib/git-annex.linux//lib64:/usr/lib/git-annex.linux//lib/x86_64-linux-gnu:/usr/lib/git-annex.linux//usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu: $f \\"\$@\\"\" > /tmp/fastannex/$(basename $f); done; chmod a+x /tmp/fastannex/*
```

and speed up on a random sample test is already obvious:


```
$> time PATH=/tmp/fastannex:$PATH python -m nose datalad/support/tests/test_annexrepo.py:test_annex_version_handling_bad_git_annex
.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 1 test in 0.280s

OK
PATH=/tmp/fastannex:$PATH python -m nose   0.78s user 0.25s system 100% cpu 1.029 total
```

vs

```
$> time python -m nose datalad/support/tests/test_annexrepo.py:test_annex_version_handling_bad_git_annex      
.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 1 test in 0.498s

OK
python -m nose   0.98s user 0.29s system 101% cpu 1.254 total
```

"""]]
