pyvm -- faster python

[Michael Sparks]

Stelios Xanthakis wrote:
...
>- It's incompatible with CPython. Not all programs run.
...
> - The demo is an x86/linux binary only. You shouldn't trust binaries,
>    run it in a chrooted environment not as root!
> 
> Hope it works!

Whatever the merits of a system like this, a closed system with bugs
(read: incompatibility with the standard python) will be considered to
"not work" unfortunately - unless people can fix the (or get fixed)
bugs they encounter. 

Releasing as closed source guarantees people will come back to you to
get the code fixed, or abandon using your code in favour of CPython,
Jython or IronPython if they want speed now. (Or PyPy if they want
speed later :-)

Releasing open source means that people *may* fix their own bugs, or
abandon the code.

In your release notes you state:
> WHERE IS THE SOURCE?:
> The source code of pyvm is not yet released.  Whether it will and
> 'when' depends on the interest of the community.  Right now I cannot
> afford the maintainance costs (fix the source, remove/insert comments,
> write docs, fix known but harmless bugs, process bug reports, etc). 
> I'm not making any money from pyvm, but at least I'd like to avoid
> paying for it too! 

Whilst that's fair enough - it's your code, your decision - it might be
worth considering that if these are your only objections consider this:
   * Interest from the community is likely to be low unless you release
     the source. It will be an interesting curio, but no more than that.
   * Releasing as open source does NOT imply you have to support (or
     market) the code - it's simply releasing.
   * If the code isn't stable, bear in mind that the existing python
     test suite can largely be used to test your VM and improve it - if
     you have something that works and you intend at *some* point to
     release the code as open source the sooner you do so, the faster
     your project *may* mature.

At the end of the day though, it's your code, you choose what to do with
it. Personally I find your project curious, and if you had fun creating
the project (or its useful in some other way), then it strikes me as a
positive thing (your release URL implies you're a student!).

Best Regards,


Michael.
-- 
Michael.Sparks at rd.bbc.co.uk    
British Broadcasting Corporation, Research and Development
Kingswood Warren, Surrey KT20 6NP

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