[Python-Dev] Persistent Python - a la Smalltalk

[Guido van Rossum]

[BCC python-dev, +python-ideas]

Funny you should mention this. ABC, Python's predecessor, worked like
this. However, it didn't work out very well. So, I'd say you're about
30 years too late with your idea... :-(

--Guido

On Sat, Sep 17, 2011 at 8:05 AM, Albert Zeyer <albzey at googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I was thinking about a persistent Python interpreter system. I.e. you
> start a Python interpreter instance and you load and create all your
> objects, classes and code in there (or load it in there from other
> files).
>
> The basic idea is that you wont restart your Python script, you would
> always modify it on-the-fly. Or a bit less extreme: You would at least
> have the possibility with this to do this (like just doing minor
> changes). Also, if your PC halts for whatever reason, you can continue
> your Python script after a restart.
>
> This goes along my other recent proposal to store the AST of
> statements in the related code objects
> (http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.devel/126754). An internal
> editor could then edit this AST and recompile the code object.
>
> For the persistance, there would be an image file containing all the
> Python objects.
>
> All in all, much like most Smalltalk systems.
>
> ---
>
> Has anyone done something like this already?
>
> ---
>
> There are a few implementation details which are not trivial and there
> doesn't seem to be straight forward solutions, e.g. most generally:
>
> * How to implement the persistance?
> * How to handle image compatibility between CPython updates? Even possible?
>
> Regards,
> Albert
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-- 
--Guido van Rossum (python.org/~guido)