Why Python is not both an interpreter and a compiler?

[Marko Rauhamaa]

Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info>:

> I believe that Marko is wrong. It is not so easy to compile Python to
> machine language for real machines. That's why the compiler targets a
> virtual machine instead.

Somehow Guile manages it even though Scheme is at least as dynamic a
language as Python.

I never said a compiler would translate Python to (analogous) machine
language. I said you could easily turn CPython into a dynamic library
(run-time environment) and write a small bootstrapper that you package
into an executable archive with the Python code (whether .py or .pyc).
What results is a single executable that you can run analogously to any
other command.

In fact, the shebang notation turns any single .py file into such an
executable. The problem is if you break your program into modules. Java,
of course, solved a similar problem with .jar files (but still wouldn't
jump over the final hurdle of making the .jar files executable).


Marko