[Python-Dev] RQST: Master Thesis

Sun Mar 9 15:42:30 CET 2008

 Michal> I'm about to start my master thesis: "optimizing python
 Michal> interpreter" therefore i would require your help plz ;)
 Michal> first of all i need to find out, how the python interpreter is
 Michal> implemented, and which are the related sources, if this stuff is
 Michal> somewhere documented that would be very helpfull...
Michal,
The best place to start is the implementation of the interpreter itself
(Python/ceval.c in the source tree) and the byte code compiler
(Python/compile.c). There have, at times, been modest attempts to document
what's going on, but I believe the source code is far and away still your
best bet.
I recommend you get a Subversion checkout of either the trunk:
 svn co http://svn.python.org/projects/python/trunk
or the py3k branch:
 svn co http://svn.python.org/projects/python/branches/py3k
You will find the trunk more stable, but the py3k branch is the future.
Also, study the archives of this list and the python-3000 at python.org list as
well as checkin comments for the Python source, especially for the two files
I referenced above. Finally, there may well be pending patches in the
Python tracker which implement various optimizations:
 http://bugs.python.org/
Studying them (and trying them out and attaching comments or reviews of
their efficacy) would be a good way to help understand the system.
-- 
Skip Montanaro - skip at pobox.com - http://www.webfast.com/~skip/