Python Written in C?

[John Machin]

On Jul 21, 8:50 am, giveitawhril2... 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.

Why do that, when gcc has a code generator for just about every 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#

A bit of a non sequitur .... and C# is available on how many different
MPU chips?

> and Python is
> akin to Visual Basic

<chuckle/>

> 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!

Nobody wants to use C any more?

> 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 The source is some outdated language and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.

It should be sublimely irrelevant to most people learning LanguageX
what language LanguageX is written in.

Some other implementations of Python: PyPy (written in Python), Jython
(written in Java) and IronPython (written in C#).