[Python-Dev] pypy-0.9.0: stackless, new extension compiler

[Ben.Young at risk.sungard.com]

Congratulations!

python-dev-bounces+python=theyoungfamily.co.uk at python.org wrote on 
25/06/2006 13:07:01:

> The PyPy development team has been busy working and we've now packaged 
> our latest improvements, completed work and new experiments as 
> version 0.9.0, our fourth public release.
> 
> The highlights of this fourth release of PyPy are:
> 
> **implementation of "stackless" features**
>     We now support the larger part of the interface of the original
>     Stackless Python -- see http://www.stackless.com for more.  A
>     significant part of this is the pickling and unpickling of a running
>     tasklet.
> 
>     These features, especially the pickling, can be considered to be a
>     "technology preview" -- they work, but for example the error 
handling
>     is a little patchy in places.
> 
> **ext-compiler**
>     The "extension compiler" is a new way of writing a C extension for
>     CPython and PyPy at the same time. For more information, see its
>     documentation: 
http://codespeak.net/pypy/dist/pypy/doc/extcompiler.html
> 
> **rctypes**
>     Most useful in combination with the ext-compiler is the fact that 
our
>     translation framework can translate code that uses the
>     standard-in-Python-2.5 ctypes module.  See its documentation for 
more:
>     http://codespeak.net/pypy/dist/pypy/doc/rctypes.html
> 
> **framework GCs** 
>     PyPy's interpreter can now be compiled to use a garbage collector
>     written in RPython.  This added control over PyPy's execution makes 
the
>     implementation of new and interesting features possible, apart from
>     being a significant achievement in its own right.
> 
> **__del__/weakref/__subclasses__**
>     The PyPy interpreter's compatibility with CPython continues 
improves:
>     now we support __del__ methods, the __subclasses__ method on types 
and
>     weak references.  We now pass around 95% of CPython's core tests.
> 
> **logic space preview**
>     This release contains the first version of the logic object space,
>     which will add logical variables to Python.  See its docs for more:
>     http://codespeak.net/pypy/dist/pypy/doc/howto-logicobjspace-0.9.html
> 
> **high level backends preview**
>     This release contains the first versions of new backends targeting 
high
>     level languages such as Squeak and .NET/CLI and updated versions of 
the
>     JavaScript and Common Lisp backends.  They can't compile the PyPy
>     interpreter yet, but they're getting there...
> 
> **bugfixes, better performance**
>     As you would expect, performance continues to improve and bugs 
continue
>     to be fixed.  The performance of the translated PyPy interpreter is
>     2.5-3x times faster than 0.8 (on richards and pystone), and is now
>     stable enough to be able to run CPython's test suite to the end.
> 
> **testing refinements**
>     py.test, our testing tool, now has preliminary support for doctests.
>     We now run all our tests every night, and you can see the summary 
at:
>     http://snake.cs.uni-duesseldorf.de/pypytest/summary.html
> 
> What is PyPy (about)? 
> ------------------------------------------------
> 
> PyPy is a MIT-licensed research-oriented reimplementation of Python
> written in Python itself, flexible and easy to experiment with.  It
> translates itself to lower level languages.  Our goals are to target a
> large variety of platforms, small and large, by providing a
> compilation toolsuite that can produce custom Python versions.
> Platform, memory and threading models are to become aspects of the
> translation process - as opposed to encoding low level details into
> the language implementation itself.  Eventually, dynamic optimization
> techniques - implemented as another translation aspect - should become
> robust against language changes.
> 
> Note that PyPy is mainly a research and development project and does
> not by itself focus on getting a production-ready Python
> implementation although we do hope and expect it to become a viable
> contender in that area sometime next year.
> 
> PyPy is partially funded as a research project under the European
> Union's IST programme.
> 
> Where to start? 
> -----------------------------
> 
> Getting started:    http://codespeak.net/pypy/dist/pypy/doc/getting-
> started.html
> 
> PyPy Documentation: http://codespeak.net/pypy/dist/pypy/doc/ 
> 
> PyPy Homepage:      http://codespeak.net/pypy/
> 
> The interpreter and object model implementations shipped with the 0.9
> version can run on their own and implement the core language features
> of Python as of CPython 2.4.  However, we still do not recommend using
> PyPy for anything else than for education, playing or research
> purposes.
> 
> Ongoing work and near term goals
> ---------------------------------
> 
> The Just-in-Time compiler and other performance improvements will be one 
of
> the main topics of the next few months' work, along with finishing the
> logic object space.
> 
> Project Details
> ---------------
> 
> PyPy has been developed during approximately 20 coding sprints across
> Europe and the US.  It continues to be a very dynamically and
> incrementally evolving project with many of these one-week workshops
> to follow.
> 
> PyPy has been a community effort from the start and it would
> not have got that far without the coding and feedback support
> from numerous people.   Please feel free to give feedback and 
> raise questions. 
> 
>     contact points: http://codespeak.net/pypy/dist/pypy/doc/contact.html
> 
> have fun, 
> 
>     the pypy team, (Armin Rigo, Samuele Pedroni, 
>     Holger Krekel, Christian Tismer, 
>     Carl Friedrich Bolz, Michael Hudson, 
>     and many others: 
http://codespeak.net/pypy/dist/pypy/doc/contributor.html)
> 
> PyPy development and activities happen as an open source project 
> and with the support of a consortium partially funded by a two 
> year European Union IST research grant. The full partners of that 
> consortium are: 
> 
>     Heinrich-Heine University (Germany), AB Strakt (Sweden)
>     merlinux GmbH (Germany), tismerysoft GmbH (Germany) 
>     Logilab Paris (France), DFKI GmbH (Germany)
>     ChangeMaker (Sweden), Impara (Germany)
> 
> -- 
>   And not only in the sense that they imagine heretics where these
>   do not exist, but also that inquistors repress the heretical
>   putrefaction so vehemently that many are driven to share in it,
>   in their hatred of the judges.  -- The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
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