Flython

[Lucas Raab]

Oh, Oh, it's magic!! You know!!!...

"Dave Benjamin" <ramen at lackingtalent.com> wrote in message
news:slrnci53hk.4hm.ramen at lackingtalent.com...
> In article <LIqdndvJz9MDoL3cRVn-og at powergate.ca>, Peter Hansen wrote:
> > Dave Benjamin wrote:
> >
> >> I just want to say, for the record, that if anyone can successfully
build a
> >> Python compiler that can produce Flash bytecode, I will personally
allow
> >> you to throw *any number of pies* in my face, in as public of a
ceremony as
> >> you desire. Furthermore, I will match you 50/50 in the cost of the
pies.
> >
> > Why on earth (unless it's the liking pies thing or the really wanting
> > this to be done thing) would you say that?  Flash bytecode is pretty
> > straightforward, and Python's not magic.
>
> Because getting a pie (or twelve) in the face is a lot less work than
> actually writing a parser and code generator. I have been writing
> ActionScript for two years now, and I am so sick and tired of its lack of
> useful data structures (like sets and dictionaries), god-awful
> error-checking (any bad message results in the "undefined" value, which
> accpets any message and returns the "undefined" value, and so on, until
your
> error surfaces someplace completely different from where it was caused),
> lack of exceptions, lack of any standard for modularity... I could just go
> on and on. I'm currently maintaining a 10,000 line ActionScript program,
and
> I would be so happy to rewrite it in Python right now.
>
> And Python *is* magic. =)
>
> > In any case, if this is a serious challenge, you'd better start
> > identifying the constraints and minimum requirements, as I'm
> > rather positive that it's possible to encode at least *one*
> > Python statement (print) into Flash bytecode which would
> > execute properly...  shall I demonstrate for, say, one pie?
>
> Good point. I expect at least the full syntax as of Python 2.1, which
means
> list comps but no "yield" or metaclasses or any fancy stuff like that.
> Perhaps one pie per Bagley's Shootout example, or maybe one pie per fully
> exposed Flash API (MovieClip, LocalConnection, etc.). I'm open to
> negotiation.
>
> But the irony here is that the amount of work that would go into a Python
> port to SWF would be far greater than the amount of suffering I would
endure
> from a bunch of pies in the face. It's really on my side, because you do
all
> the work, and then I don't have to write ActionScript anymore. =)
>
> Best wishes,
> Dave
>
> -- 
>  .:[ dave benjamin: ramen/[sp00] -:- spoomusic.com -:- ramenfest.com ]:.
>         "talking about music is like dancing about architecture."