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

[Jeremy Hylton]

>>>>> "SM" == Skip Montanaro <skip at mojam.com> writes:

  Gordon> If we can't overcome "ew - a call might not ever return"
  Gordon> there's not much sense in writing the PEPs.

  SM> I disagree.  The value in writing a stackless PEP is that those
  SM> who would dismiss the idea out-of-hand or those who think they
  SM> understand it but really don't might gain some insight into
  SM> what's really going on.

+1

I am probably in the "think I understand it but really don't" camp.
Since there have been few dissenting opinions so far, I assume I am
also the person to whom "ew - call might not ever return" should be
attributed.  (I didn't think I said that, though.)

I should clarify exactly what I am worried about with C API calls.  I
don't care if they never return, which is already possible since it
could invoke some Python code that goes into an infinite loop.  I am
worried about a C API call that itself never returns even though one
of its parents does.  I am worried, as Christian explained, about a C
API call that receives the "unwind token" when it isn't expecting it.
I do not understand how we keep Python's simple, clean C API and also
support continuations.  I have been waiting for the PEP because I hope
it will explain this issue.

  SM> I can't help but think, "wow, microthreads sound like they're
  SM> very efficient and offer a real chance of providing portable
  SM> threading for Python".  The route to mainstream acceptance of
  SM> stackless and realization of this thought will be through a PEP.
  SM> I wouldn't give up at this point.

Indeed, fast and efficient user-level threads seem like a fine idea.
I do not understand, again, how stackless + continuations is required
to implement them.  Just recently wrote: "Continuations aren't even
needed to do full coroutining and uthreading."  Is even stackless
required?  I hope the PEP will explain this requirement.

While we're going for a full disclosure of things I don't understand
:-), I hope someone will explain why the continuation interface is so
much more complicated than call/cc.  If Python were to adopt a
continuation interface, it would seem desirable to use the same
interface as Scheme and ML, two languages with long experience using
continuations (mostly to implement threads and exceptions).

Jeremy
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