Project | PyPy

Duration: 12/01/2004 - 03/31/2007

Researching a Highly Flexible and Modular Language Platform and Implementing it by Leveraging the Open Source Python Language and Community

The project will research and implement a flexible, configurable and fast version of Python, a popular Free/Open Source programming language. Much anecdotal, and some empirical, evidence suggests that Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn and is one of the languages in which one can code up a given algorithm the fastest. The project aims to bring this highly productive language to a wider range of platforms, devices and users by providing simple means to build a highly customized language version.

The project will achieve its goals principally by leveraging excellent research and the strengths of Open Source developer communities. In particular, it will explore and refine Sprint Driven Development, an agile rapid development method pioneered by Python communities in Europe. Sprints accelerate an already productive open development process by intensifying communication and feedback cycles for programmers and researchers. This process will also involve an existing non-profit organisation of Python firms to bind business communities into research and implementation of a unique runtime environment. Technically, the project will refine and implement innovative approaches to language implementation, based on object spaces and abstract interpretation.

The new Python will maintain the semantics of the current implementation but will be more portable, more easily customised and extended, more efficient, and it will cover more programming paradigms in a way that respects the simplicity of the underlying language. In addition, the project will document and refine existing open source development models in the Python community. Although targeted principally at Python, all research results and the language platform will be applicable to other Very High Level Languages.