[summerofcode] stdlib port to python

[Niklaus Haldimann]

Hi there

Armin Rigo wrote:
> The _sre module, on the other hand, would be a self-contained "normal"
> Python module that would be useful in general, for experimentation and
> for all Python reimplementations.  It's much more work; I guess that it
> would come close to the two months of the summer of code plan.  It's
> also something that PyPy needs quite soon.  The Python version should be
> based on Python 2.4's (or CVS's) version of 'Modules/_sre.c', and not
> 2.3, as there were some changes.  (There is also a Java version of a
> still older _sre in Jython, if you want to have a look at it.)

Just FYI, I have submitted a proposal about porting _sre two days ago. 
In my proposal I am explicitly targetting PyPy and IronPython (I figured 
Jython doesn't necessarily need a Python _sre since it has its own 
implementation). After looking at the code a bit closer I estimated 
roughly 3 weeks (+ a 1.5 weeks buffer) for porting it to (R)Python. My 
impression was that the design of _sre.c is pretty rigid, porting it 
would mean doing a somewhat mechanical translation from C to Python 
code. Your 2 months estimate makes me a bit unsure, now. ;) Can you say 
something about why you think it would be that much work?

To keep me busy for the rest of SoC my proposal also includes porting 
the array module to Python. AFAIK no Python version of arraymodule.c 
exists (Jython has a Java version, IronPython has no array module at 
all). If a Python array module exists somewhere or if there are already 
ongoing efforts to create one, I would love to hear about it since there 
is not much time left to correct my proposal. ;)

Cheers,
Nik