[summerofcode] Python on Parrot

[Ian Bicking]

Torsten Marek wrote:
> does it make sense to write a Python "compiler" targeted at Parrot right now? I
> had a look at the code (in Parrot 0.2.0), but the comments said that pie-thon
> has failed and bytecode transformation is not a good idea. So what would it be?
> A Python-implemented compiler that walks the AST and puts out Parrot asm?
> 
> And what should the project be? With only very little googling, I found three
> different (mini-) projects dealing with Python on Parrot, where pirate seems to
> be the way to go. Should this project be revived and put into a better shape?
> And create full support for 2.2? 2.3? 2.4?
> 
> Does Python for Parrot still make sense or should we all wait for PyPy, since
> there hasn't been anything in the news since OSCON last year.
> And even if I chose to do such work, would there be anybody to mentor me?

There was some bad news for Parrot recently:
   http://www.sidhe.org/~dan/blog/archives/000400.html

Well, I guess bad news, or maybe just a bad sign.  But then, this is 
open source, a project is only as viable as its contributors, and if you 
think you can make a good contribution then it's a good project; I don't 
know if that's circular or just a self-reinforcing system.  Still, it's 
a shame Parrot has been so... challenging.  Whether it is that way for 
technical reasons, politics, or some weird mixture, I don't know.  The 
PyPy people seem much better socialized, though.

My impression is that work done recently on the AST branch might make it 
easier to implement a Python compiler targetting Parrot, so despite 
these problems the project becomes more viable over time.


I think it's okay to submit multiple proposals.  I think it would be 
quite reasonable to say in your proposal that you believe you need some 
Parrot-specific mentoring, and if that's not available then please 
remove the proposal from consideration, as you feel you'd be more 
successful on another project, like porting modules to Python.

-- 
Ian Bicking  /  ianb at colorstudy.com  /  http://blog.ianbicking.org