Why not a Python compiler?

[Steve Holden]

Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:22:13 -0800, Ripter001 at gmail.com wrote:
> 
>> On Feb 5, 11:44 am, Steve Holden <st... at holdenweb.com> wrote:
>>> Ripter... at gmail.com wrote:
>>>>>  Why not a Python COMPILER?
>>>> What about a Python JIT hardware chip, so the CPU doesn't have to
>>>> translate. Although it seems to me that with today's dual and quad
>>>> core processors that this might be a mute point because you could
>>>> just use one of the cores.
>>> What about a chip that reads your mind and does what you want it to?
>>>
>>> I am sure that would be popular with all the frustrated computer users
>>> there are in the world.
>>>
>>> regards
>>>   Steve
>>> --
>>> Steve Holden        +1 571 484 6266   +1 800 494 3119 Holden Web LLC   
>>>           http://www.holdenweb.com/
>> I'm not sure where that came from. Microsoft had talked about a hardware
>> JIT for .NET a few years back. I was just wondering if anyone had
>> thought of it for python or anything like that.
> 
> 
> Okay, you know how hard it is to create a software JIT compiler for a 
> language as dynamic as Python? It's REALLY HARD, which is why it hasn't 
> already been done[1]. Now you want that done in *hardware*, which is much 
> harder. Who's going to spend the money on R&D?
> 
> I'm sure there are thousands of l33t hax0rs out there who have thought 
> "Wouldn't it be c00l if there was a chip I could put into my PC to make 
> Python run a million times faster!!!". When I was younger and more 
> stupi^W innocent I had a mad fegairy for Forth and Lisp chips, but their 
> lack of financial viability and their unfortunate habit of actually being 
> *slower* than running the language in software put a big dent in the 
> idea. As general purpose CPUs got faster, the idea of making a specialist 
> language chip is now pretty much dead. Even if you could find a niche 
> market prepared to pay for it, "people who run Python programs" is 
> probably not that market.
> 
> [1] Apart from some specializing compilers like Pysco
> http://psyco.sourceforge.net/introduction.html
> 
> 
Quite.

regards
  Steve
-- 
Steve Holden        +1 571 484 6266   +1 800 494 3119
Holden Web LLC              http://www.holdenweb.com/