[Edu-sig] Learn to Program in Ten Years

[Dethe Elza]

>> It is interpreted when given untyped variable information, and 
>> compiled
>> when given typed variables.  And works nicely with inline C code.
>>
>> Wouldn't that be nice if Python...
>>
>
> Declaring types really pins you down and suddenly, it's really
> not Python.

Well, Pyrex is basically Python that you can mix in optional types and 
inline C code, which makes it really easy to a) create Python 
extensions which run really fast, and b) create Python bindings for 
libraries coded in C.  That's about all I really need any optional 
types for, and Pyrex seems to be a good fit.

Not sure if someone has already mentioned this, as I've been off list 
and off-line for awhile, just catching up now.

> PyPy is an attempt to deepen the Python layer.  You could also
> design a chip that executes Python byte codes natively somehow -- 
> that'd be
> interesting to think about.

PyPy uses a similar approach to Pyrex, called Psyco, which compiles 
directly to 80x86 machine code (Pyrex compiles to cross-platform C 
code).  This allows PyPy to attempt to be faster than C-Python by 
creating compiler optimizations.  Not sure what the PyPy story is for 
non-x86 platforms.  There is also a project to recreate Python on top 
of Smalltalk, by L. Peter Deutch, which he expects to be faster than 
C-Python (and if anyone can do it, he could).

Nice to see y'all again.  Happy New Year (or Gnu Year?).

--Dethe

I can't watch television without praying for nuclear holocaust.  --Bill 
Hicks
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