Python questions -> compiler and datatypes etc

[Richard Jones]

On Thursday 11 October 2001 11:24, Paul Rubin wrote:
> Oh come on, it's self-defeating to think that nothing can get done
> unless a corporation does it.

OK, my comment was a bit strong. I meant that large, resource-consuming 
projects are more likely to get done when there's some entity actually 
providing the resources. People working in their spare time on free projects 
are less likely to be able to provide those huge resources. There certainly 
has been cases where it has worked though.


>  It didn't take "huge resources" to
> write the Lisp compilers in the first place.

I don't know the history of lisp compilers, so I can't comment.


>  The lack of a Python
> compiler just isn't seen as an urgent problem right now.  Most users
> are content to leave Python implementation to the central Python
> developers, and the central developers are mostly concentrating on
> interpreted implementations.  And Python has a useable-enough
> native-code interface that bottlenecks in Python programs can usually
> be relieved by converting the critical parts to a C module.  That
> relieves a lot of the tension.  A Python compiler would be nice to
> have, but I can think of lots of things that are more important.

I completely agree :)


    Richard