IronPython 1.0 Beta 7 Released

[=?iso-8859-1?q?Luis_M._Gonz=E1lez?=]

Check it out:
http://www.gotdotnet.com/workspaces/workspace.aspx?id=ad7acff7-ab1e-4bcb-99c0-57ac5a3a9742

 

[vbgunz]

maybe I am a bit ignorant and love living in the bliss of it and maybe
I am a bit tired on the subject but may I ask you a question? if i
decided to use IronPython for strict cPython work, is this possible?
probably dumb when I can use cPython but is it still possible in case
maybe sometime down the road I wanted to use the .NET libaries?

In other words, IronPython is Python but with the extra capability of
working in .NET correct? Do you have some introductory information on
it? I am very interested on some news that explains what IronPython is.
What would you recommend I check out for a great intro on IronPython?

 

[sam]

vbgunz:
When you download IronPython,the tutorial directory has some examples
of interfacing With the .NET environment i.e.:
1: IronPython -> C#
2: C# -> IronPython
3: IronPython -> VB
4: VB -> IronPython
Sam Schulenburg

 

[=?iso-8859-1?q?Luis_M._Gonz=E1lez?=]

Well, basically, ironpython is to .NET what jython is to JAVA.
It is a faithful implementation of the python language, written in c#,
created to run on and take full advantage of the .NET framework.

That means that you have access to all the available libraries of the
..NET framework and you can use your favorite language. It is 100%
compliant with cpython.

If you want to take advantage of ironpython, all you have to do is
learn more about the .NET framework and its libraries. You don't need
to learn anything new regarding language features. It's just plain and
regular python.

You have to bear in mind something very important though:
Ironpython is not a first class .NET language.
That means that although you can write programs that run on .NET and
you have access to all its libraries, you can't write libraries that
could be consumed by other languages.
This is because ironpython is still a dynamic language, while all the
other .NET languages are static. So it cannot be compiled like c# or
VB, for example.
It is not a problem if all you want is to create end user programs, but
if you want to write reusable libraries, you're better off using any
other statically typed language.
In this case, a good alternative is Boo, which is very similar to
python (syntax wise), but statically typed.

 

[Ravi Teja]

Also, IronPython cannot access CPython libraries. So it cannot be used
as a drop-in replacement for CPython in most non-trivial apps. Python
for .NET however allows you to both use both CPython and .NET
libraries.

Ironpython is not a first class .NET language.
That means that although you can write programs that run on .NET and
you have access to all its libraries, you can't write libraries that
could be consumed by other languages.

I was hoping that it would eventually, like Jython by method signatures
in docstrings. But if it does not, I wonder what significant benefit
does it provide at all compared to Python for .NET (once the .NET 2.0
version is out, atleast).

 

[BartlebyScrivener]

Can you recommend a book or a link for a person learning Python on
Windows who does not yet know C# or .NET?

Thanks,

rick

 

[=?iso-8859-1?q?Luis_M._Gonz=E1lez?=]

Also, IronPython cannot access CPython libraries. So it cannot be used
as a drop-in replacement for CPython in most non-trivial apps. Python
for .NET however allows you to both use both CPython and .NET
libraries.

It will be able to access the standard libraries, as long as they are
rewriten in a .NET language. People are doing it already, it's just a
matter of time...

 

[=?iso-8859-1?q?Luis_M._Gonz=E1lez?=]

Also, IronPython cannot access CPython libraries. So it cannot be used
as a drop-in replacement for CPython in most non-trivial apps. Python
for .NET however allows you to both use both CPython and .NET
libraries.

It will be able to access the standard libraries, as long as they are
writen in pure python, otherwise they should be rewriten in a .NET
language. People are doing it already, it's just a matter of time...

 

[Ravi Teja]

Also, IronPython cannot access CPython libraries. So it cannot be used

It will be able to access the standard libraries, as long as they are
writen in pure python, otherwise they should be rewriten in a .NET
language. People are doing it already, it's just a matter of time...

I didn't mean the standard library port like Jython but the wealth of
third party native Python code available. What I am trying to get at is
Jython is better than JPype in some settings because while it cannot
access native Python extensions like JPype can, it does allow you to
create Java jars which may freely be used in applets or applications. I
did use it in this way in the past. But if IronPython can't create
libraries in a similar standing as you stated, I wonder why it is a
better option than Python for .NET (which has been getting a lot less
press and consequently has low momentum) which does everything
IronPython does and more. Arguably, creating a binding mechanism is a
simpler task than re-implementing the whole VM.

Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about IronPython, just trying to
weight pros and cons.

 

[Ravi Teja]

Can you recommend a book or a link for a person learning Python on

Windows who does not yet know C# or .NET?

Since Python is cross-platform, any Python book will do. If you need to
do MS Windows specific programming (COM and OLE automation, Windows
Services etc), you can use Mark Hammond's "Python Programming On Win32".