New to Python - Compiled Language?

[Relee Squirrel]

--- In python-list at yahoogroups.com, keflimarcusx at a... (KefX) wrote:
> >The impression I get from www.python.org is that it is a compiled 
> >very high level language, which is extendable via C++. I'm a C++ 
> >programmer and the tools and utilities referred to existing in 
Python 
> >would increase the development time of my projects. However, what 
I'm 
> >creating are programs, not just scripts.
> >
> >Is Python a language which can be compiled into an executable 
program?
> 
> Well, Python isn't a compiled language in the sense of native code 
compilation
> (that is, making an EXE on Win32, or a normal binary executable on 
Unix, etc.),
> though there is a tool called py2exe that you may want to look into 
in order to
> bundle your program into an executable on Win32.
> (http://starship.python.net/crew/theller/py2exe/)


I think that would be very useful, thank you. :)

When I say compiled language, I do mean a language like C++ which is 
transformed into machine code by a compiler.

I was under the impression that Python had no such compiler, and that 
the end user of my programs would be required to install the Python 
Interpreter. Is that true in most cases?


> The best advice I can give is just give it a shot. Write something 
small but
> nontrivial and see how it works for you. Any more questions?


I'm a video game programmer and the applications I'm hoping to use 
Python for are the games themselves as well as the utilities used in 
making the games, such as level editors.

There are several programming concepts which I haven't studied in 
depth which I read Python can handle easily, such as handling the 
Windows GUI, using and even creating internet transfer protocols, and 
compressing and decompressing files.


Also, can Python support Linked Lists? I believe someone said in one 
of the other emails that Python doesn't support pointers.


Thanks for your assistance!