A Python Interpreter Written in Python • Hacker News Board

Re: A Python Interpreter Written in Python

#51

Post by genxy » Sat, Apr 18, 2026, 5:11 AM UTC

ghusbands wrote: post #49

genxy wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Interpreters don't translate bytecode to native instructions. > That's a partial evaluator, not an interpreter, and it converts an interpreter into compiler, which are different things. https://old.reddit.com/r/Compilers/comments/1sm90x5/retrofit...

Yes, that's another great example of the same kind of thing - creating a JIT from an interpreter. It remains true that interpreters do not directly generate machine code.

The author of weval is the top comment.

Reading the comments and understanding that transitively, weval turns interpreters into compilers, allowing interpreters to generate machine code.

Re: A Python Interpreter Written in Python

#52

Post by direwolf20 » Sat, Apr 18, 2026, 10:26 AM UTC

genxy wrote: post #51

ghusbands wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, that's another great example of the same kind of thing - creating a JIT from an interpreter. It remains true that interpreters do not directly generate machine code.

The author of weval is the top comment. Reading the comments and understanding that transitively, weval turns interpreters into compilers, allowing interpreters to generate machine code.

If you turn milk into cheese it isn't milk any more, and it doesn't prove that milk is a yellow solid.

Re: A Python Interpreter Written in Python

#53

Post by blueybingo » Sat, Apr 18, 2026, 5:03 PM UTC

bdangubic wrote: post #47

blueybingo wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

haha no im not a bot, but starting to realise i sound like one. need to be less cynical.

exactly what the bot would say lol :)

damn brain is becoming bot mush

Re: A Python Interpreter Written in Python

#54

Post by nagaiaida » Sat, Apr 18, 2026, 7:56 PM UTC

jgbuddy wrote: post #28

one liner: eval(str)

and as soon as one tries to meaningfully add features to this sort of metainterpreter, the usefulness of homoiconic syntax becomes abundantly clear

Re: A Python Interpreter Written in Python

#55

Post by gbacon » Sun, Apr 19, 2026, 8:05 PM UTC

bdangubic wrote: post #30

johndough wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you a bot? All your recent comments point out a thing in an article and contain LLM-isms.

you asking a bot if it is a bot? :)

You know that Voight-Kampff test of yours? Did you ever take that test yourself?

Re: A Python Interpreter Written in Python

#56

Post by genxy » Wed, Apr 22, 2026, 12:57 AM UTC

direwolf20 wrote: post #52

genxy wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author of weval is the top comment. Reading the comments and understanding that transitively, weval turns interpreters into compilers, allowing interpreters to generate machine code.

If you turn milk into cheese it isn't milk any more, and it doesn't prove that milk is a yellow solid.

We lost the plot here.

What are your goals, to let everyone know that interpreters, definitionally don't generate code? This isn't debate club.

I dropped a cool link that shows we have a machine that turns interpreters into compilers. I am talking about the machine. You are talking about the definition. We aren't talking about the same thing.

Re: A Python Interpreter Written in Python

#57

Post by ghusbands » Wed, Apr 22, 2026, 1:05 PM UTC

genxy wrote: post #56

direwolf20 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you turn milk into cheese it isn't milk any more, and it doesn't prove that milk is a yellow solid.

We lost the plot here. What are your goals, to let everyone know that interpreters, definitionally don't generate code? This isn't debate club. I dropped a cool link that shows we have a machine that turns interpreters into compilers. I am talking about the machine. You are talking about the definition. We aren't talking about the same thing.

Partly, it's simply that words matter. An interpreter is not a compiler, even if partial evaluators and Futamura transforms are very cool. Posting about them in a context that isn't a confusion about what interpreters are may have been more fruitful.