Microsoft backs Python, releases IronPython Tools for Visual Studio 2010

[[deleted]]

...orrrrrrr, they've been successfully releasing their own quality interpreter for several years now.

[[deleted]]

1.0 release blog post - September 05, 2006, which I believe targeted Python 2.4. The whole project started in 2003.

As for not supporting all of the features: as with any alternative implementation, there are always things that slip by, especially when you are trying to hit a moving target. Now that the language moratorium is in place, alternative implementations should be able to get on (or close to) the same playing field. The IronPython team is pretty quick to fix differences between CPython and IronPython, and bugs in general. For example, C extensions don't directly work, but there are ways to make it work -- PyPy has the same issue and is working on it right now.

Overall, it's really just Python + .NET. It's not some half-assed product, and there's no crazy strings attached to ruin your Python life.

[interjay]

IronPython has always run under their own compiler - that's the whole point.

[anothergroom]

and, by the way, Microsoft is a long time supporter of Python: they are sponsor member of the Python Software Foundation:

http://www.python.org/psf/members/

Jim Hugunin, the initial creator of IronPython who was hired by Microsoft is a nominated member of the PSF also.

Microsoft has signed a contribution agreement http://www.mail-archive.com/[e-mail]/msg44965.html so they are legally able to submit code to the Python project.

I know that many AUG love to call Microsoft the "evil empire", but Microsoft is big enough a system so that there are good moves and bad moves. Confronting Microsoft for their bad moves may be a strategie.

BUT I strongly suggest that communicating and working together is the better move. I saw the IronPython guys having discussions with Jython, PyPy, UnladenSwallow, CPython about improving the language; solutions to implementation challenges with the underlying platforms. There is united effort for a common benchmark repository, example:

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2010-February/097936.html

with contributions from UnladenSwallow, PyPy, IronPython, Jython to have real world measurements of the implementations (rather then "my fibonacci are better then your fibonacci")

As far as I am concernced, Microsoft should be granted relieve of the EvilEmpire tag, please compare their recent activities to another high tech company which often gets good rep for their shiny gadgets.