[Stackless] Re: [Python-Dev] Stackless pages

[Gordon McMillan]

Skip wrote:
 
>     Gordon> If we can't overcome "ew - a call might not ever return" there's
>     Gordon> not much sense in writing the PEPs.
> 
> I disagree.  The value in writing a stackless PEP is that those who would
> dismiss the idea out-of-hand or those who think they understand it but
> really don't might gain some insight into what's really going on.

That's what the pages are about: here's some of the things 
you can do with this stuff (uthreads are already well covered 
elsewhere). Unfortunately, my web site stats show that people 
who start the pages outnumber those who finish them 100:3. 
Page 1 is nothing but hand waving. Pages 2 thru 5 are 
progressive demonstrations of the power of this stuff, but since 
they're all executable, they show the warts as well. Almost no 
one gets to page 6, which is the only "real" example of the lot 
(and you need to download it to really see how neatly this stuff 
can work).

The PEPs can't hand wave. The stackless PEP needs a 
detailed description of the intended implementation - and 
Christian isn't there yet. The generator / coroutine PEP needs 
to describe a saner API and we're not there yet, either.
 
> I can't help but think, "wow, microthreads sound like they're very efficient
> and offer a real chance of providing portable threading for Python".  The
> route to mainstream acceptance of stackless and realization of this thought
> will be through a PEP.  I wouldn't give up at this point.

I am by no means giving up. I just don't want to discuss 
possible coroutine API's in front of torch-bearing villagers 
upset about the lack of a stack...

- Gordon
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