Python-like compiled language

[Alex Martelli]

"Erno Kuusela" <erno-news at erno.iki.fi> wrote in message
news:kulmtl6xqx.fsf at lasipalatsi.fi...
    [snip]
> some say that the latest virtual machines should be quite fast, but

I've heard that repeated continuously over the last 5+ years.  It
will no doubt become true one day, "in the long run", but you know
what Keynes had to say about that.


> [good scheme suggestion snipped]
>
> it is also rumored that ocaml has a good optimizing compiler.

It has an _excellent_ compiler, but it has no similarity to
Python whatsoever.  The totally static typesystem is only the
start of the differences; such issues as needing to use `+.`
when you sum floats (you can only use `+` to sum _integers_)
take it away from "the average programming language" in the
exactly _opposite_ direction.  My point re Scheme/stalin was
predicated on at least 'some' semantic similarities between
Scheme and Python.

What about Modula-3, by the way?  I gather that one has
similarities, too (having provided some of our BDFL's
inspiration), but don't know much about its compilers'
effectiveness.


Alex