Python un-plugging the Interpreter

[Alex Martelli]

Jorgen Grahn <grahn+nntp at snipabacken.dyndns.org> wrote:
   ...
> > Perhaps the current wave of dual-core and quad-core CPUs in cheap
> > consumer products would change people's perceptions -- I wonder...
> 
> Maybe it would change /perceptions/, but would normal users suddenly
> start running things that are (a) performance-critical, (b) written in
> Python and (c) use algorithms that are possible to parallellize?

That depends on what "normal" means.  For the common definition (users
that don't _write_ programs), it would depend on what ``developers''
release to the world.

> I doubt it. (But I admit that I am a bit negative towards thread
> programming in general, and I have whined about this before.)

I'm no big fan of threading either, believe me.  But with multi-core
CPUs onrushing, exploiting them requires either that or multiple
processes; and, with Windows still prevalent and not exactly a speed
daemon in dealing with processes (while pretty good with threads), it
would appear likely that threading's here to stay.

IronPython would appear to be coming along nicely and getting acceptance
in the Windows community, and I believe the underlying dotNet CLR does
do threads nicely; we'll see what develops on that front, I guess.


Alex