Diez B. Roggisch wrote: > > >> Just out of curiousity: How many python extensions are you planning to > >> write? > > > > I estimate 10 to 100, depending on abstractional capabilities of the > > extension system. > > > >> And how many lines of pure python code have you written in your life? > > > > 0 (zero). > > Awesome. Without any lines of code written, you have already identified the > areas where python lacks features that have to be overcome with C-written > extensions. As usual, I stand with my mouth agape over your near-psychic > abilities to analyze even the complexest matters without any actual > fiddling with the nitty gritty details.
If you put yourself into the shoes of someone who decides to use a Python product that requires compiling, and that product contains C extensions that also need compiling, you'll see that it doesn't matter whether or not that individual has actually written a single line of Python themselves. If the compiling process is not easy, then that user will be forced to fiddle with nitty gritty details about which they'd rather remain ignorant. On Linux, I've installed and used/compiled products in a variety of languages in which I've never written a single line of source code myself. In most cases the process works fairly well. When it doesn't, I'm forced to fiddle with nitty gritty details about which I'd rather remain ignorant. The result is usually a good deal of frustration and anger on my part. On Windows, most users are used to installing precompiled binary packages, rather than compiling from source. When you do have to compile from source, it often requires you to fiddle with nitty gritty details about which you'd rather remain ignorant. The less fiddling required, the happier the user will be, and the easier it will be for that product to get adopted on that platform. No psychic abilities are required. No Python abilities are required, either, for that matter. ;-) -- Patrick K. O'Brien Orbtech http://www.orbtech.com Schevo http://www.schevo.org Pypersyst http://www.pypersyst.org -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
