Python Written in C?

[Larry Bates]

giveitawhril2008 at gmail.com wrote:
> I'm just learning about Python now and it sounds interesting. But I
> just read (on the Wiki page) that mainstream Python was written in C.
> That's what I was searching for: Python was written in what other
> language?
> 
> See, my concern was something like: OK, if Python is so hot, then,
> hopefully someone is writing it in assembly language for each MPU chip
> out there. Otherwise, if, say, they've written it in C#, then it looks
> like the REAL, generally useful language to learn is C# and Python is
> akin to Visual Basic or something: a specialty language....whereas
> REAL WORLD programmers who want to be generally useful go and learn
> C#.
> 
> So I was suspecting the Python compiler or interpreter is written in a
> REAL language like C#. So, Wiki says it's written in C! It's almost as
> if it were an intentional trick...write your own, new language in an
> OLD, real world language that is passe. Compile it into executable
> modules of course, so it is a real, working compiler, alright. But the
> SOURCE is some old, high level language which no one wants to use
> anymore! So now you've got a hot new language package and no one can
> say "well, it is written in, the SOURCE code is written in, a REAL
> language." No, it's not! The source is some outdated language and
> compiler and no one is going to prefer learning THAT to learning your
> hot new language!
> 
> I'm not dissing Python, here. Just noting that, if it is written in C,
> that throws a curve at me in trying to balance the value of learning
> Python vs. some other major language.

SPSS (was and may still be) written in Fortran and the Fortran compiler was 
written in C.  But NOBODY would suggest that you try to solve the problems that 
SPSS is used for in C.

You talk about "writing it in assembly language for each MPU chip".  Actually it 
is even better than that.  We now have these modern inventions, called compilers 
that do that type of work for us.  They translate high level instructions, not 
into assembler but into machine language.

-Larry