On Tuesday, 25 September 2012 21:05:01 UTC+5:30, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > On Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:26:19 -0400, Kevin Walzer wrote: > > > > > On 9/25/12 4:15 AM, Mark Lawrence wrote: > > >> Hi all, > > >> > > >> I though this might be of interest. > > >> > > >> http://www.ironfroggy.com/software/i-am-worried-about-the-future-of- > > >> python > > >> > > >> > > > Interesting article, but the comments of those who say "the only > > > language I need to know is Python" strike me as a bit limited. If this > > > is the case, then Python can never be moved forward, because it is > > > written in C. > > > > Incorrect. > > > > IronPython in C#. Jython is written in Java. CLPython is written in Lisp. > > Berp and HoPe are written in Haskell. Nuitka is written in C++. Skulpt is > > written in Javascript. Vyper is written in Ocaml. PyPy is written in > > RPython. > > > > Some of those Python compilers are obsolete, unmaintained or > > experimental. Others are not. But either way, it is certainly not true > > that Python is written in C. One specific Python compiler happens to be > > written in C, that is all. > > > > > > > I program in Python, C, Objective C, JavaScript, Tcl, AppleScript, and > > > I'm learning Perl. Python could *not* handle all the domains I target in > > > my projects. > > > > Unless you are writing code that operates on the bare metal (device > > drivers, operating system kernels) Python probably *could*, even if it > > doesn't *yet*. PyPy now allows you to write real-time video processing > > filters in pure Python: > > > > http://morepypy.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/realtime-image-processing-in-python.html > > > > > > And if performance was irrelevant, you could even write an operating > > system in Python. A really slow, painful operating system, but still an > > operating system. > That's what I plan to do. But it will be converted to C/C++ > > > Given a sufficiently smart compiler, and sufficiently powerful libraries, > > or sufficiently low expectations, pretty much any programming language > > can do anything any other language can do. Almost all of them are Turing > > complete. > > > > But of course, in practice languages differ in their power and > > capabilities. > > > > > > > For instance: if I want to access Mac-native functionality > > > via Tkinter that isn't currently available in the library, > > > > That "isn't currently available" part is precisely what I'm talking > > about. Just because it's not available now doesn't mean it can't be made > > available. > > > > > > > I can understand loving the language and wanting to work just in the > > > language, but it's another thing entirely to call Python the One > > > Language to Rule Them All. (That's C, because all other languages are > > > implemented in it. :-) ) > > > > I see your smiley, but that is factually incorrect. Not all compilers or > > interpreters are written in C. Many languages are self-hosted, that is, > > they are written in themselves, using some clever bootstrapping > > techniques. C is neither the most powerful, the oldest, the best, or the > > most fundamental language around. > > > > > > -- > > Steven
-- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
