So far none of the previous replies to my earlier post addressed what I thought was the more interesting part. Now that things have hopefully simmered down a bit, let me try again, minus the other stuff. I wrote: > [Lots of preceding stuff snipped.] > > Anyway, what I found most interesting about Guido's interview were the > following comments: > > # [O]ne of my reasons against adding Scheme-style continuations to the > # language (this has seriously been proposed by the Stackless folks) > # is that it can't be implemented in a JVM. > > I'm interested in knowing what people who are knowledgeable about such > things think about the major implications of this (if any) for Jython and > JRuby, pro or con. > > # I find the existence of > # Jython very useful because it reminds me to think in terms of more > # abstract language semantics, not just implementation details. > # > # IMO the portability of C Python is better than that of Jython, by > # the way. True, you have to compile C Python for each architecture, > # but there are fewer platforms without a C compiler than platforms > # without a decent JVM. > # > # Jython is mostly useful for people who have already chosen the Java > # platform (or who have no choice because of company policy or simply > # what the competition does). In that world, it is the scripting and > # extension language of choice. > > # [Question] does Python need a CPAN? > # > # One of the reasons I still write some things in PERL is because I > # know that I can find and install about a zillion modules quickly and > # easily through the CPAN repository and CPAN module. I'm pretty sure > # that if Python had something similar, like the Vaults of Parnassus > # but more evolved that I would abandon PERL almost entirely. > # > # Do you see things in a similar way? If so, why has Python not > # evolved something similar or better, and what can I do to help it > # along in this realm? > # > # [Answer} It's coming! Check out the action in the catalog-sig > # http://python.org/sigs/catalog-sig/. You can help by joining. > # > # One reason why it hasn't happened already is that first we needed to > # have a good package installation story. With the widespread adoption > # of distutils, this is taken care of, and I foresee a bright future > # for the catalog activities. -- Conrad Schneiker (This note is unofficial and subject to improvement without notice.)