[Python-Dev] Common runtime sociology (original) (raw)

Dan Sugalski dan@sidhe.org
Wed, 08 Aug 2001 21:57:50 -0400

At 06:11 PM 8/8/2001 -0700, Paul Prescod wrote:

It is my gut feeling that the only way to get to a common runtime (if it is possible at all) is to take the development out of the hands of any language group and put it in a trusted third party's hands. If any language group feels like its concerns are going to get second-class attention, they'll go back and focus on their own implementation.

I think it's possible for things to be done otherwise, but it puts a heavy burden on the implementation group to be actively engaged with the language groups and be as impartial as can be managed. You almost need to take the implementation group that starts this and pry them loose to be an entity in and of themselves, separate from the original language group. (FWIW, this is part of my Master Plan. Dunno if it's part of Simon's)

It's certainly the more difficult way to go than to start with an impartial third party. (Of course, then there's the problem of finding an impartial third party for something like this) For the record, if something like this does go through, I'm all for it and'll bow out of the way. (Any resemblance to dropped hot rocks is purely coincidental ;)

As for the common runtime, that's by far the least of the problems. I mean, we all manage with C, of all things, running on hardware that's not in the least forgiving of dynamic languages. We'd be hard pressed to find a worse environment to run on short of dragging out one of the old LISP or Forth systems...

                Dan

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