[Edu-sig] If the PyPy Project gave you a implementation of Python in Python

[Laura Creighton]

In a message of Sat, 13 Sep 2003 21:42:40 CDT, Terry Hancock writes:
>On Saturday 13 September 2003 04:18 pm, Laura Creighton wrote:
>> that was also a JIT runtime optimiser, and produced fast code, would
>> you teach with it?
>
>Yes.  If it performed better than the CPython version, but was otherwise
>identical, I'd probably favor it for just about every use, including
>teaching.

That's the goal.  wonderful ...

>
>> One of the goals of the PyPy project is to produce something which 
>> is even better suited than CPython for teaching computer science
>> with.
>
>Since I presume the goal of PyPy is to implement *Python* in Python,
>wouldn't the implementation language be rather insignificant to an
>end-user such as an educator?  Why would it be "better" than CPython?

Aha.  Great question.  I see writing Grant Proposals has turned my
brains into jam.  I was thinking about its value in teaching interpreter
construction and operation, and the like -- including how to write a
JIT, but of course, most people would be using it to teach Programming
concepts in Python.

>
>I can see why it would be "just as good", and even why it might be
>better on general principles (better ability to write low-level code,
>better portability, etc), but it's hard to see why it's particularly good
>for education for it to have these qualities (they would seem to have
>more to do with good production code than good teaching code).
>
>Mind you, Laura, I'm asking to start a conversation, not to
>shoot the idea down.  I figure you probably *have* an answer,
>I'd just like to hear it. :-)

<smile>  one soapbox, coming right up.
>
>Of course, I'm an American, so I may not count in the EU's
>budget accounting, anyway. ;-)

oh you do:)   Like this:

blah blah 'European completitiveness'blah blah 'Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises', blah blah 'world domination of Microsoft', blah blah
Open Source, blah blah 'European completitiveness again' blah blah
'unfair trading practices', blah blah 'spawn of Satan' ....

Ooops, not the last one :-)

>
>Cheers,
>Terry
>
>--
>Terry Hancock ( hancock at anansispaceworks.com )
>Anansi Spaceworks  http://www.anansispaceworks.com

Did your move go well?  We are moving Dec 1, but ours is from our
apartment to a larger one in the same complex.  No more hacking in
the kitchen for me!  We won't even have to rent a truck -- not like
you who moved half across the country, as I recall.

How goes the spacecraft business?

Laura