Make arcpy import faster

[I_AM_ERROR]

From what I've read in various discussions, arcpy need to ping a license server, then after timing out, check if you have a license checked out.

Could we add functionality such that it looks for a checked out license first and not have to wait for the license server check to time out? (slow process).

Debug sessions requiring subsequent exaction are extremely slow right now with the current process.

[DavidSolari]

At this point esri should bite the bullet and just remove the license checks from arcpy in general. You still need the Desktop files to run the modules and the number of customers with Desktop licenses and nothing else has to be in single percentiles by this point, it doesn't seem worth the hassle to shove license checks everywhere for the base functionality.

[EsriQruqs]

I would suggest splitting it up into chunks, much like toolbox itself.

If you need this feature, load the part that contains it only, I don't need 3D if I'm going to interrogate a table for its contents of text attributes. Has to be faster. Waiting ten-fifteen seconds for that monster to load is a nuisance.

I usually put the import in the function that can't live without it. Ugly, but stems from sheer frustration with the sluggish behavior.