Microsoft Python product?

[Alex Martelli]

Randy Edwards writes:


> I just got the O'Reilly book on Python and am working my way through it.
> I
> 
There is more than one -- e.g., the neat and useful, pretty new, "Learning 
Python", and the (IMHO) confused, rambling, big "Programming Python"
(which is also a bit dated).

> was surprised to see mention of a Microsoft product which was supposed to
> be
> written partially in Python.
> 
> Since I'm such a *big* Microsoft fan :-), I have to ask, what MS
> product(s)
> was written partially in Python?  TIA.
> 
According to what I've read elsewhere on the net, it was the
"Microsoft Merchant Server"; that URL somewhere gave it as
a good example of using Python for prototyping -- release 1.0
having lots of Python in it, release 2.0 having moved much of
the Python to C++, and release 3.0 being (mostly? entirely?)
C++.  [Of course, leaving the Python in would be useful for
end-user customization etc, and it would save programming
effort for the non-performance-crucial parts anyway, but the
point is that Python is useful even if in the end you want to
use a completely different customization strategy (such as
Automation and VBA, or Tcl, or whatever) and even if your
eventual plans call for an all-C++ product, etc etc].

Also, the URL hinted that the product had originally been
developed by a startup firm, and Microsoft acquired the
product when it bought out the startup.

Alas, can't find the URL itself (it's sure to be somewhere on
my browser's 'history', but, where...?-), but that's the gist
of the info in it as I recall it.  I don't know what the "Merchant
Server" _is_, at all, nor the name of the startup firm in
question (which _does_ get mentioned in that URL, but
the name didn't register with me).


Alex