Python to get Google-backed speedup

This is a serious question. Can someone explain to me why higher-level languages like Python, Ruby, and JavaScript can't share a fast VM? It doesn't have to be the JVM or .NET, but why is everybody duplicating so much work? I know the Perl guys were moving in this direction, but nobody else seems to be onboard. Even within Google, they have v8 for JavaScript already.

For people who already know all about Python, LLVM, etc the <a href="http://code.google.com/p/unladen-swallow/wiki/ProjectPlan" rel="nofollow">http://code.google.com/p/unladen-swallow/wiki/ProjectPlan</a> page is more informative.

My favorite line (buried a few hundred lines deep) --IN 2009 Q3 and Beyond:<p>"In addition, we intend to remove the GIL and fix the state of multithreading in Python."

I think the most important point here is not the speedup itself, but the fact that Google is officially backing Python. That'd give Big Corps confidence when adopting the technology.

This is truly very exciting, but the more I see of parallel language development, the more I want to focus on languages like Haskell, which have no side effects and therefore have some substantial implicit parallelization effect. Don't get me wrong, I love Python (and C) but I wouldn't be surprised if we were all using a Haskell derivative in 5 years instead.

<i>On UNIX/Linux it is also viewed by many as a modern replacement for Perl</i><p>I still have a LOT of perl in use simply because of my hatred of python's regular expressions and I suspect that I'm not the only one...

More LLVM can't be a bad thing.

I hope they would incorporate the Stackless Python branch into this one as well.

So once the port to LLVM is done, how would that compare to say something like Jython?<p>I always thought(not based on actual experience) that running Jython or IronPython would give you all the mentioned benefits.

Zope? The most popular web framework? Cool! I had no idea it was still in use that much. Can anybody shed light on who uses it these days?

I'm disappointed that Ruby isn't getting this type of attention. I think that Ruby strikes a good balance by allowing highly readable code like Python, but tolerating denser syntax for when you don't feel like talking to a 3-year-old.<p>However, it is good that Google is putting it's weight behind this project, because anybody who uses anything built on Python (which has weaseled its way into virtually everything nowadays) is going to experience a performance boost.

Python would be perfect if it wasn't for the underscores that plague its syntax.<p>I __hate__ that

investing in "new visual basic"...