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One Python 2.1 idea

Tim Peters tim.one at home.com
Sun Dec 24 14:02:30 EST 2000 
[Lieven Marchand]
> I think Common Lisp shows that getting very good speed in Python is
> quite feasable. The original CMUCL implementers weren't such a large
> group. Their highly optimising compiler (which incidentally is also
> called Python) has on occasion beaten FORTRAN at numerics. I don't
> know why some people in the Python community think compiling Python is
> such a problem.

The reasons vary, in large part depending on whether or not they've ever
worked on a compiler <wink>.  Whatever, the fact is that there isn't a
Python compiler, nor a credible plan for such a beast to come into
existence.  If the CMUCL compiler group contained at least one person, it
was infinitely larger than the group of people working on a Python compiler
(Vyper notwithstanding).

> Practically all the problems have been tackled and
> solved 20 years ago in the Lisp community.

Excellent!  Then we would greatly appreciate it if you took one of their
compilers, plugged in a Python parser, and released the result.  Sounds like
it shouldn't take you more than a week or two, given that all the problems
were solved so long ago.

reality-check-ly y'rs  - tim
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