Python 2.0

[Michael P. Reilly]

Hans Nowak <ivnowa at hvision.nl> wrote:

: On 27 May 99, Graham Matthews wrote:

:> I was wondering if this is seriously being considered -- that is
:> implementing Python 2.0 in Java rather than C. While I understand
:> that there are some technical challenges with this (notably interfacing
:> to the existing C implemented extensions), I personally think there
:> is a lot to be said for compiling Python to the JVM. For example:
:> access to the Java apis, garbage collection, true compilation, the
:> ability to write statically typed code (just write that part in Java!),
:> access to Swing, promoting Python on the coat-tails of Java (free
:> publicity and hype), etc.
:> 
:> Comments?

: While an implementation of Python in Java is a very nice thing to 
: have (see JPython), I would not be too happy if this were the *only* 
: version. Java does not run on every system or OS. This would mean 
: that there won't be, for instance, a Python 2.0 for DOS. (And maybe 
: other systems. Is there Java for the Amiga, for instance?) Now I know 
: that most people think that DOS is dead, and technically inferior, so 
: it won't be a big deal, but there are still quite a few DOS users 
: around, and it does have its advantages over Windows. 

: If it will be implemented in C or C++, I can't see how Python 2.0 
: will *not* compile for DOS, but in Java, it's a different bowl of 
: soup. Anyway, my point is not really that there should be a DOS 
: version, but... Right now Python can be built on just about any 
: system. That's because there's a C compiler for just about any 
: system. Choosing Java as implementation language would change that. 
: (And, for a working graphical implementation, one would need, say, 
: Java, Python and Tkinter...)

: This argument may seem feeble but many users of less popular systems 
: are very glad that there's a Python available for them. I think it 
: would be desirable to keep it that way.

Not to mention that quite a few people here have mentioned that they
have been trying to port Python to embedded systems (as opposed to
embedding in an app).

Java is a nice-to-have (and we already have it), but the JVM cannot
deal with the world at the level that C can (or ever will by the nature
of the two languages).

  -Arcege