Python 2.0

[Michael P. Reilly]

Graham Matthews <graham at sloth.math.uga.edu> wrote:
: I read the following interesting snippet at
: 	
: http://www.python.org/workshops/1997-10/proceedings/hugunin.html

:>6.2. Python in Java's Advantages
:>
:>Using Java as the underlying systems language for Python has a number of 
:>advantages over the current implementation of Python in C.  First and 
:>foremost of these in my mind is the opportunity to ride the Java 
:>popularity wave and let Python code run everywhere there's a Java VM.  
:>It also makes the rich set of portable Java API's available from within 
:>Python. 
:>
:>There is also a nice collection of technical reasons why Java is a 
:>superior implementation language for Python than C.  These include 
:>Java's binary portability, thread-safety, object-orientation, true 
:>exceptions, garbage collection, and friendliness to glue languages. 
:>More questions need to be answered before I can make a convincing 
:>argument that Python 2.0 should be implemented in Java rather than C.  
:>Nonetheless, I think that Java offers many advantages for Python as 
:>both an implementation language and a widely available run-time platform. 

: What particular intrigues me here is the sentence

:>More questions need to be answered before I can make a convincing 
:>argument that Python 2.0 should be implemented in Java rather than C.  

: I was wondering if this is seriously being considered -- that is
: implementing Python 2.0 in Java rather than C. While I understand
: that there are some technical challenges with this (notably interfacing
: to the existing C implemented extensions), I personally think there
: is a lot to be said for compiling Python to the JVM. For example:
: access to the Java apis, garbage collection, true compilation, the
: ability to write statically typed code (just write that part in Java!),
: access to Swing, promoting Python on the coat-tails of Java (free
: publicity and hype), etc.

: Comments?

Have you looked at http://www.jpython.org/?  It seems to be more in
keeping with your desires.

  -Arcege