[Tutor] filling 2d array with zeros

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:56:33 am Alex Hall wrote:
> > (But don't forget that Python is not necessarily written in C.
> > There's Jython, written in Java, and CLPython written in Lisp, and
> > many others. How they implement objects may be different. What
> > happens under the hood isn't important, so long as the behaviour at
> > the Python level remains the same.)
>
> Really? Neat! I wonder what the advantage of doing that is, since the
> end result, as you say, should be the same once you start writing
> Python code?

Different implementations can make different choices, to suit different 
needs. So long as the end result is the same, they can choose different 
mechanisms, different techniques, radically different strategies, or 
simply choose a different implementation language because they can.

CPython is a conservative implementation written in ordinary C so that 
it is available on almost any platform that has a C compiler. 
Efficiency is not its primary goal, clarity of code and simplicity of 
design is considered just as important. This is almost certainly the 
version you are using.

Unladen Swallow is a version of CPython written by Google that aims to 
speed up certain time-critical parts. If it works, it may end up being 
merged with the regular CPython. Unfortunately, after a flash of 
publicity and some promising early results, Unladen Swallow seems to 
have gone quiet.

PyPy is a version of Python written in Python. It has an incredible 
mission: to eventually produce versions of Python which are faster than 
pure C, despite being written in Python itself. Although they have a 
long, long way to go, they are making good progress, and PyPy can now 
run Python code faster than CPython. PyPy is becoming a generalised 
Just-In-Time compiler for high-level languages like Python.

IronPython and Jython are designed to integrate with Dot-Net and Java. 
IronPython is probably written in C#, like most Dot-Net software, and 
Jython is written in Java.

Stackless Python is similar to CPython except it doesn't have a function 
call stack, which is good for certain specialist applications.

Pynie is an experimental version of Python written for the Parrot 
virtual machine used by Perl 6.

CapPython is a restricted version of Python which aims to be much more 
secure, allowing you to safely run untrusted code without it eating 
your computer. 

And there are many more... I count at least 41 current or past Python 
implementations, add-ons and related projects. My favourite (apart from 
PyPy, which makes me feel all warm and tingly in that special place) is 
LikePython:

http://www.staringispolite.com/likepython/


#!usr/bin/python
# My first Like, Python script!
yo just print like "hello world" bro


I can't wait to put that on my resume :)




-- 
Steven D'Aprano