[PD] Py extern : WOW !!

[Thomas Grill]

Hi Mathieu,

> I don't know, does python 2.2 have full-blown garbage-collection now, or
> just the patched up ref-counting it had last time i checked? Ruby has
> mark-and-sweep which is often quite nice, except for the lack of
> realtimeness. Ruby authors often talk about a multipart mark-and-sweep,
> which would be much more realtime, but i expect to wait another year.

I don't know much about the internals but it's obvious that Python's GC is
based on mere reference counting... and to keep track of borrowed and new
references is one of the hardest things with Python/C programming.

> 
>> - I'm still not too sure whether Python or Ruby is the better choice..... it
>> seems ruby is more dense and powerful but Python has the clearer syntax and
>> much much more libraries to use. Once, if a have too much time, i'll
>> probably do rb/rbext externals as well....
> 
> Talk to me when you do wish to work on that, because I've already written
> it. It's not as sophisticated as yours (and is currently right in the
> middle of a migration from C to C++) but I have one extra feature:
> the same Ruby code works in both PureData and jMax.

Yes, i'd like to have o look at your code! Is it all included in GridFlow?
I think that most of the py/pyext code should be reusable for a Ruby
interface.
You know that py/pyext is based on flext. As i won't port flext to jMax in
the next future, the rb/rbext wouldn't run there either.... it would run (as
py/pyext would) under MaxMSP for Windows and OSX (but not under OS9),
though.

greetings,
Thomas