New to Python - Compiled Language?

[Thomas Heller]

mis6 at pitt.edu (Michele Simionato) writes:

> "Michael Geary" <Mike at DeleteThis.Geary.com> wrote in message news:<vqgq0u8vn0dd44 at corp.supernews.com>...
>> Python compiles to bytecode, not to machine code. But that doesn't mean the
>> end user needs to install a Python interpreter.
>
> Actually it does; py2exe and similar programs ship the interpreter
> bundled with the code, so you don't install the interpreter directly,
> but indirectly you do. The disadvantage is that a ten line script
> requires megabites of space in order to be made executable. This
> may be an issue if you plan to distribute your program via the net
> and your customers have slow connection. Also, it may be an issue
> for embedded systems. Finally, it is somewhat disturbing that a ten
> line script cannot fit in good old 3.5' floppy :-(

Well, actually this isn't really true.  It's perfectly possible to write
nontrivial programs (more than ten lines of code) and pack them with
py2exe that completely fit onto a floppy - even if nothing is
compressed.  You just don't use wxPython, instead ctypes and venster,
for example.

Thomas