[pypy-dev] GIL removal in PyPy (was: Re: Threaded interpretation)

[Armin Rigo]

Hi Paolo,

On Sat, Jan 03, 2009 at 07:18:22AM +0100, Paolo Giarrusso wrote:
> > Given enough interest we can implement full GIL-free
> > multithreading the slow way: by going over most features of the
> > interpreter and thinking.
> 
> That'll take more time now than it would have taken to do it in the first place.

Yes, so we probably won't do it (except if we can find another
orthogonal technique to try, i.e. a separable way, which is only at the
state of vague discussion so far).

> > Note that it would also be possible to do
> > that in CPython (but it would be even more work).
> 
> That has been proven to be false :-).

Wrong.  For example, Jython is such an example, showing that we "can" do
it even in C (becauce anything possible in Java is possible in C, given
enough efforts).  I know it has been tried several times over the course
of the CPython development, but never succeeded.  That's why I'm saying
it would be even more work in CPython than in PyPy.


A bientot,

Armin.