[Python-Dev] Looking for master thesis ideas involving Python

[Samuele Pedroni]

At 17:28 29.10.2003 -0800, Brett C. wrote:

>>   * Implement an object system that supports multiple dispatch.
>>     You can look at Dylan and Goo for ideas.
>
>Huh, cool.  Just looked at Dylan quickly.

some bits on this:
implementing one is probably not too hard apart from optimization but 
possible/relevant directions are also then

- integration with the preexisting Python semantics
- reflection. All of CLOS, Dylan, and Goo come with a rather low-level flavor
of reflection, in contrast Python has a rather natural one. Once you have 
mmd what kind of idioms using reflection you can think of, how to best 
offer/package reflection for the language user?
- multi methods cover some ground also coverd by interfaces and adaptation:
   *) a generic function/multi method is also an interface
   *) some of the things you can achieve with adaptation can be done with 
multi methods
Once you have multimethods do you still need adaptation in some cases or, 
could one obtain the functionality otherwise or do you need dispatch on 
interfaces (not just classes), how would then interfaces look like and the 
dispatch on them?

(Cecil type system and predicate dispatch would be thing to look at for 
example)

Samuele