[Python-ideas] Python 3000 TIOBE -3%

[Steven D'Aprano]

Massimo Di Pierro wrote:
> I think if easy_install, gevent, numpy (*), and win32 extensions where 
> included in 3.x, together with a slightly better Idle (still based on 
> Tkinter, with multiple pages, autocompletion, collapsible, line numbers, 
> better printing with syntax highlitghing), and if easy_install were 
> accessible via Idle, this would be a killer version.

IDLE does look a little long in the tooth.


> Longer term removing the GIL and using garbage collection should be a 
> priority. I am not sure what is involved and how difficult it is but 
> perhaps this is what PyCon money can be used for.

It isn't difficult to find out about previous attempts to remove the GIL. 
Googling for "python removing the gil" brings up plenty of links, including:

http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpost.jsp?thread=214235
http://dabeaz.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/inside-look-at-gil-removal-patch-of.html

Or just use Jython or IronPython, neither of which have a GIL. And since 
neither of them support Python 3 yet, you have no confusing choice of version 
to make.

I'm not sure if IronPython is suitable for teaching, if you have to support 
Macs as well as Windows, but as a counter-argument against GIL trolls, there 
are two successful implementations of Python without the GIL.

(And neither is as popular as CPython, which I guess says something about 
where people's priorities lie. If the GIL was as serious a problem in practice 
as people claim, there would be far more interest in Jython and IronPython.)


>  If this cannot be done 
> without breaking backward compatibility again, then 3.x should be 
> considered an experimental branch, people should be advised to stay with 
> 2.7 (2.8?) and then skip to 4.x directly when these problems are 
> resolved. Python should not make a habit of breaking backward 
> compatibility.

Python 4.x (Python 4000) is pure vapourware. It it irresponsible to tell 
people to stick to Python 2.7 (there will be no 2.8) in favour of something 
which may never exist.

http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0404/



-- 
Steven