If there were such packages, that is, packages that will make Perl code faster that it is going now, regardless of the code, wouldn't you think it was already integrated in the core? More specifically, if it were feasible to compile Perl code to C to get a significant speedup, wouldn't you think it was already part of the core? Or at least, mentioned somewhere in the FAQ?

If you need a general speedup, here are some boosters:

• Use a better algorithm.
• Ditch Perl, write it in C.
• Shutdown anything else that's running on the machine.
• Invest in hardware: more memory, faster disks, more I/O controllers (and more spindles), different RAID scheme, faster CPU, faster network, more network cards.

But there isn't a magic bullet you can download.