[Python-Dev] Re: native code compiler? (or, OCaml vs. Python)

Tim Peters tim.one@comcast.net
Thu, 30 Jan 2003 23:55:05 -0500


[Tim]
> These kinds of things get done by legions of grad students in
> search of a thesis ...

[Samuele Pedroni]
> in which case then typically portability, long term
> maintainability and absence of rough edges are quite irrelevant.

At first, yes, but it's not irrelevant that *something* gets done.  For
example, countless now-defunct Lisp companies were based on the founder(s)'s
grad work, and a huge (relative to the size of the community) amount of Lisp
compiler knowledge is still available for the grabbing.  Even if you don't
look at a lick of that code, the heritage of published papers is priceless.
Or worthless, to judge from how often it's referenced <0.1 wink>.