is there a way to warn about missing modules *without* running python?

[lkcl]

folks, hi,

although i know the answer to this question, i'm having difficulty
explaining it, to a user on the pyjamas list.  i was therefore
wondering if somebody could also provide an answer, on this list, to
which i can refer the user.

to make it clear: the user is confused as to why the pyjamas compiler
(which strictly speaking isn't actually a compiler it's a "language
translator", translating from one dynamic language into another
dynamic language, feature-for-feature, concept-for-concept) is _not_
making any effort to help or advise the user at *COMPILE TIME* when
they make the mistake of trying to import a module that does not
exist.  they are confused as to why they have to go to all the trouble
of executing the [translated] javascript code in a web browser engine,
where web browser engines are known to be a complete pain as far as
debugging is concerned, just to find out that they made a mistake in
mis-naming an import module.

in other words, they are confusing the concept of "python as a dynamic
language" with the concept of "compiler in the traditional static-
language-such-as-c-or-c++ sense".

i've tried explaining that the answer is because this has absolutely
****-all to do with pyjamas, and has everything to do with the
http://python.org programming language, but i'm not getting through to
them.

if someone could perhaps explain this (in a different way from me), in
the context of "python the programming language" and "python the
http://python.org interpreter", i.e. having absolutely nothing to do
with pyjamas, i would be most grateful, and it would benefit that
user's understanding of python.

many thanks,

l.

ref: http://groups.google.com/group/pyjamas-dev/browse_thread/thread/64cf948082bfec52?hl=en_US