[Python-Dev] Please help complete the AST branch

[Brett C.]

Guido van Rossum wrote:
> The AST branch has been "nearly complete" for several Python versions
> now. The last time a serious effort was made was in May I believe, but
> it wasn't enough to merge the code back into 2.4, alas.
> 
> It would be a real shame if this code was abandoned.
[SNIP]
> So, I'm pleading. Please, someone, either from the established crew of
> developers or a new volunteer (or more than one!), try to help out to
> complete the work on the AST branch and merge it into 2.5.
> 
[SNIP]
> Please, anyone? Raymond? Neil? Facundo? Brett?
> 

Funny you should send this out today.  I just did some jiggling with my 
schedule so I could take the undergrad language back-end course this quarter. 
This led to me needing to take a grad-level projects class in Spring.  And what 
was the first suggestion my professor had for that course credit in Spring?

Finish the AST branch.  I am dedicated to finishing the AST branch as soon as 
my thesis is finished, class credit or no.  I just can't delve into that large 
of a project until I get my school stuff in order.  But if I get to do it for 
my class credit I will be able to dedicate 4 units of work to it a week (about 
8 hours minimum).

Plus there is the running tradition of sprinting on the AST branch at PyCon.  I 
was planning on shedding my bug fixing drive at PyCon this year and sprinting 
with (hopefully) Jeremy, Neal, Tim, and Neil on the AST branch as a prep for 
working on it afterwards for my class credit.

Although if someone can start sooner than by all means, go for it!  I can find 
something else to get credit for (such as finishing my monster of a paper 
comparing Python to Java; 34 single-spaced pages just covering paradigm support 
and the standard libraries so far).  And obviously help would be great since it 
isn't a puny codebase (4,000 lines so far for the CST->AST and AST->bytecode code).

If anyone would like to see the current code, check out ast-branch from CVS 
(read the dev FAQ on how to check out a branch from CVS).  Read 
Python/compile.txt for an overview of how the thing works and such.

It will get done, just don't push for a 2.5 release within a month.  =)

-Brett