(slightly OT): Python and linux - very cool

[Mart van de Wege]

On Sat, 2002-08-10 at 11:26, holger krekel wrote:
> hello mart,
> 
> Mart van de Wege wrote:
> > On Thu, 08 Aug 2002 11:25:16 +0200, Michael Hudson wrote:
> > 
> > > Mart van de Wege <mvdwege.usenet at drebbelstraat20.dyndns.org> writes:
> > <lots of misunderstandings about the Python VM>
> > > 
> > > And this has been the case in Python for, more-or-less, ever.  If
> > > you're knowledge is out of date, then you must have known Python circa
> > > version 0.9 (and I don't know if that interpreted a parse tree -- I
> > > just know it was different).
> > > 
> > Euhm, I meant to say that Python's VM was similarly high-level like
> > Perl's. The parse-tree comment was meant to apply to the Perl VM. Sorry if
> > I was a little unclear there.
> 
> at least perl 5.6 doesn't have a 'virtual machine'.  It uses the parse
> tree for substitution/execution.  Of course you could call anything
> that is interpreted (as a perl-script is) call 'virtual'. But commonly
> only python and java are considered having VMs.  With perl6 in the
> distant future this might change.
> 
Heh. It is definitely a stretch to call Perl's parse tree a VM, but
since Perl source is compiled to bytecode before it is executed, that's
an easy mistake to make. See the older bit below ;-)

> > I am not up to compiler theory and VM design. I know three types of
> > languages: Assembly (6502), C, and highlevel (Perl and Python mostly), so
> > it's obvious I can be a little unclear in these cases.
> > 
> > Thanks for clarifying things to me. Obviously, despite the design
> > difference, Perl and Python have a higher-level VM than Java, right? 
> 
> ASAIK perl has parsetree-based execution/substitution.  Note that perl 
> probably has no way of accessing the 'parse-tree'. A bad (de-) sign.
> 
Why'd you think I am waiting for Parrot? Again, I'd love to see the port
of Python to the Parrot VM go through, as Parrot will be the VM of Perl6
(If I understood Larry and Damian's writing correctly). Again, there are
things I really like to do in Perl (basically anything regexp related),
but for the most part I do prefer Python. Having them both compile to
the same VM would allow me to have my cake and eat it too.

What is the status of porting Python to Parrot anyway? I heard the idea
bandied about a few months ago, but I haven't heard anything since.
Anybody know?

Mart

-- 
"Time expands and then contracts
When you're spinning in the grip of someone
Who is not an ordinary girl"
	Counting Crows - Hard Candy
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 196 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
URL: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/attachments/20020810/dc913b5b/attachment.sig>