[Numpy-discussion] Looking for people interested in helping with Python compiler to LLVM

[Nathaniel Smith]

On Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 5:18 PM, Travis Oliphant <travis at continuum.io> wrote:
> Cython and Numba certainly overlap.  However, Cython requires:
>
>        1) learning another language

So is the goal for numba to actually handle arbitrary Python code with
correct semantics, i.e., it's actually a compiled implementation of
Python-the-language? (I feel like most of where Cython-the-language
differs from Python-the-language is that Cython adds extensions for
stuff where getting speed out of Python-the-language would just be too
hard. Dynamic type inference for numpy arrays is definitely a good
start, but you can't even, say, promote a Python integer to a C
integer without changing semantics...)

>        2) creating an extension module --- loading bit-code files and dynamically executing (even on a different machine from the one that initially created them) can be a powerful alternative for run-time compilation and distribution of code.

Totally agreed on this point, the workflow for Cython could definitely
be smoother.

-- Nathaniel