def comp1(a, b):
    if len(a) != len(b):
        return False
    for i, v in enumerate(a):
        if v != b[i]:
            return False
    return True

def comp2(a, b):
    for l, r in map(None, a, b):
        if l != r:
            return False
    return True

list(a) == list(b)

tuple(a) == tuple(b)

all(x == y for x, y in itertools.izip_longest(a, b))

import timeit

tests = (
'''
a=b=[5]*100
''',

'''
a=[5]*100
b=[5]*3
''',

'''
a=b=(5,)*100
''',

'''
a=b="This on is a string" * 5
''',

'''
import array
a=b=array.array('B', "This on is a string" * 5)
'''
)

common = '''import itertools
def comp1(a, b):
    if len(a) != len(b):
        return False
    for i, v in enumerate(a):
        if v != b[i]:
            return False
    return True'''

for i, setup in enumerate(tests):
    t1 = timeit.Timer("comp1(a, b)", setup + common)
    t2 = timeit.Timer("all(x == y for x, y in itertools.izip_longest(a, b))", setup + common)
    t3 = timeit.Timer("all([x == y for x, y in itertools.izip_longest(a, b)])", setup + common)
    t4 = timeit.Timer("list(a) == list(b)", setup + common)
    t5 = timeit.Timer("tuple(a) == tuple(b)", setup + common)

    print '==test %d==' % i
    print '   comp1: %g' % t1.timeit()
    print ' all gen: %g' % t2.timeit()
    print 'all list: %g' % t3.timeit()
    print '    list: %g' % t4.timeit()
    print '   tuple: %gn' % t5.timeit()

==test 0==
   comp1: 27.8089
 all gen: 31.1406
all list: 29.4887
    list: 3.58438
   tuple: 3.25859

==test 1==
   comp1: 0.833313
 all gen: 3.8026
all list: 33.5288
    list: 1.90453
   tuple: 1.74985

==test 2==
   comp1: 30.606
 all gen: 31.4755
all list: 29.5637
    list: 3.56635
   tuple: 1.60032

==test 3==
   comp1: 33.3725
 all gen: 35.3699
all list: 34.2619
    list: 10.2443
   tuple: 10.1124

==test 4==
   comp1: 31.7014
 all gen: 32.0051
all list: 31.0664
    list: 8.35031
   tuple: 8.16301

sm = difflib.SequenceMatcher(None, a, b)
    for opcode in sm.get_opcodes():
        print "    (%s %d:%d %d:%d)" % opcode

from itertools import starmap, izip
from operator import eq
all(starmap(eq, izip(x,y)))

from itertools import imap
from operator import eq
all(imap(eq, x, y))

x=range(1000)
y=range(1000);y[10]=0

timeit tuple(x)==tuple(y)
100000 loops, best of 3: 16.9 us per loop

timeit all(imap(eq,x,y))
100000 loops, best of 3: 2.86 us per loop

list(a) == list(b)

def cmpLists(a, b):
    return len(a) == len(b) and (False not in [a[i] == b[i] for i in range(0,len(a)])

# python 2.6 ≤ x < 3.0
import operator, itertools as it

def seq_cmp(seqa, seqb):
    return all(it.starmap(operator.eq, it.izip_longest(seqa, seqb)))