[PYTHON C++-SIG] Re: LLNL Python/C++ integration: current status

[Paul F. Dubois]

----------
> From: Johann Hibschman <johann at physics.berkeley.edu>
> To: c++-sig at python.org
> Subject: Re: [PYTHON C++-SIG] Re: LLNL Python/C++ integration: current
status
> Date: Thursday, February 13, 1997 1:04 PM
> 
> This one *is* meant to be a criticism.  By requiring features that are not
> in common distribution, you're cutting out a sizeable chunk of the user
> base.  LLNL may have pots of money to buy the latest optimizing C++
> compiler, but I am stuck either using the Sun CC compiler or g++.  I don't
> think that either is in full compliance with the ANSI draft standard,
> although I'm not sure about the latest version of Sun's offering.
> 
> I don't think that I am that atypical of academia, and I don't want to
> wait a year or two for g++ to get up to par.  If this is a mainstream
> effort to get C++ support for python, it should be usable by mainstream
> compilers.  If this is really just a forum to perfect your idealized C++
> implementation, then there's probably enough demand for a separate "lowly
> C++" SIG for everyone else. 
> 
> - Johann
> 
> ---
> Johann Hibschman
> johann at physics.berkeley.edu   

This is not a decision we made lightly. We don't think the widespread
availability of compilers that do meet the C++ standard is all that far away.
Meanwhile, it would be pound -foolish to expend the time of our personnel to
write convoluted work-arounds rather than buy a modestly-priced compiler that
DOES work.

By the way, the issue for this SIG is actually not the optimization, it is
simply the use of the full language as specified in the standard. We care
about the optimization when we have our C++ hats on, but for the purpose of
the Python interface to our C++ speed is not often something to think about.

If our experience with the matrix-SIG is any experience, we will argue about
the details of this longer than it will take for the compilers to be out.


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