[clpython-devel] Fwd: Not dead, bold future

[Willem Broekema]

Link to message:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/7629a87adac6d0b1

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Willem Broekema <metawilm at gmail.com>
Date: Dec 13, 2006 8:28 PM
Subject: Re: merits of Lisp vs Python
To:


Paul Rubin wrote:
> Does this count as a "children of a lesser Python"?

This sounds like a quite derogatory first question. CLPython is not a
dead and abandoned project, nor is execution speed its main goal, nor
are Python semantics bended anywhere (it can run the Pie-thon
benchmark). Sure, some recently introduced language features are
missing, but with just a little effort that's solved...

Moreover, in Common Lisp source code analysis and manipulation can be
expressed easily. CLPython thus provides ample opportunities to analyze
type inference or caching schemes. Most of that is unexplored
territory, I think. I like the journey so far.

> How does clpython implement Python's immutable strings, for example?

Normal Python strings are represented by normal Lisp strings. Instances
of subclasses of 'str' are represented by CLOS instances. That's for
performance reasons. This dual-representation aspect is nicely hidden
behind macros, so that even in the code of CLPython itself there's no
need to worry, or even know, about it.

Why not take a look in the code -- I'll be happy to explain things.

- Willem