Python OS

[Michael Chermside]

I am by no means a programmer at this stage.
But as I learn more and more I see Python as the
Holy Grail of programming languages

Then you have much to learn. Different languages have different
strengths, and a skilled programmer will realize that. Python
is an excellent language for expressing algorithms, doing rapid
prototyping, and a GREAT many other tasks. But it is poorly
suited to performing low-level register and bit manipulation.
If I wanted an inference engine, I might use prolog rather than
Python.

In the world of OSes, I think a core done in something like C
with the higher level kernel functionality in Python would make
an interesting system for experimenting with OS design. But
performance is likely to be unreasonable for a "production" OS.
Remember too, that much of what is nice about Python is that it
provides you with easy access to OS facilities (everything from
sockets (as a library) to memory management (in the language).
If you were developing an OS then that wouldn't be available
until you had built it.

-- Michael Chermside

 

[Paul Watson]

Then you have much to learn. Different languages have different
strengths, and a skilled programmer will realize that. Python
is an excellent language for expressing algorithms, doing rapid
prototyping, and a GREAT many other tasks. But it is poorly
suited to performing low-level register and bit manipulation.
If I wanted an inference engine, I might use prolog rather than
Python.

In the world of OSes, I think a core done in something like C
with the higher level kernel functionality in Python would make
an interesting system for experimenting with OS design. But
performance is likely to be unreasonable for a "production" OS.
Remember too, that much of what is nice about Python is that it
provides you with easy access to OS facilities (everything from
sockets (as a library) to memory management (in the language).
If you were developing an OS then that wouldn't be available
until you had built it.

-- Michael Chermside

What if we had a machine whose native instruction set was Parrot bytecode?

 

[Harald Massa]

Michael Chermside

Then you have much to learn. Different languages have different
strengths, and a skilled programmer will realize that.

That is really true.

In the world of OSes, I think a core done in something like C
with the higher level kernel functionality in Python would make
an interesting system for experimenting with OS design. But
performance is likely to be unreasonable for a "production" OS.

I am sure Dr. Armin Rigo would tend to disagree if he would read up to
this sentence )) You should GMANE the PyPy Mailing list, Edward of LEO
posted this research of HP

http://www.hpl.hp.com/techreports/1999/HPL-1999-77.pdf
http://www.hpl.hp.com/techreports/1999/HPL-1999-78.pdf

"Contrary to intuition, we demonstrate that it is possible to use a piece
of
software to improve the performance of a native, statically optimized
program binary, _while it is executing_." (emphasis in original).


also GNANE python-dev with Armins rant about "going to C to fast" and
"python is faster than C" - nearly flamebaiting he proofed that he was
able to outperform Timsort because he knew more about the data to sort.

Your way of formulating gives me the impression that you are a really
experienced and knowledgable programmer; and "basic instincts" of
experienced programmers is often that "assembler faster C faster C++
faster HighLevel" ... but as often, human mind seems to fail in complex
optimization situations.

So I hope you allow me to direct your mind also in the area of dynamic
optimization...

thanks

Harald