We can now link even smaller Python binaries. For example, the hello.com
program in the Python build directory is a compiled linked executable of
hello.py which just prints hello world. Using decentralized sections, we
can make that binary 1.9mb in size (noting that python.com is 6.3 megs!)
This works for nontrivial programs too. For example, say we want an APE
binary that's equivalent to python.com -m http.server. Our makefile now
builds such a binary using the new launcher and it's only 3.2mb in size
since Python sources get turned into ELF objects, which tell our linker
that we need things like native hashing algorithm code.
Actually Portable Python is now outperforming the Python binaries
that come bundled with Linux distros, at things like HTTP serving.
You can now have a fully featured Python install in just one .com
file that runs on six operating systems and is about 10mb in size.
With tuning, the tiniest is ~1mb. We've got most of the libraries
working, including pysqlite, and the repl now feels very pleasant.
The things you can't do quite yet are: threads and shared objects
but that can happen in the future, if the community falls in love
with this project and wants to see it developed further. Changes:
- Add siginterrupt()
- Add sqlite3 to Python
- Add issymlink() helper
- Make GetZipCdir() faster
- Add tgamma() and finite()
- Add legacy function lutimes()
- Add readlink() and realpath()
- Use heap allocations when appropriate
- Reorganize Python into two-stage build
- Save Lua / Python shell history to dotfile
- Integrate Python Lib embedding into linkage
- Make isregularfile() and isdirectory() go faster
- Make Python shell auto-completion work perfectly
- Make crash reports work better if changed directory
- Fix Python+NT open() / access() flag overflow error
- Disable Python tests relating to \N{LONG NAME} syntax
- Have Python REPL copyright() show all notice embeddings
The biggest technical challenge at the moment is working around
when Python tries to be too clever about filenames.
