[Info-vax] VSI Python 3.8.2 port, with a OpenVMS Shark Logo...

[Craig A. Berry]

On 11/23/20 8:27 AM, Jan-Erik Söderholm wrote:
> Den 2020-11-23 kl. 15:03, skrev Craig A. Berry:
>>
>> On 11/23/20 1:57 AM, Jean-François Piéronne wrote:
>>> Le 22/11/2020 à 00:18, Craig A. Berry a écrit :
>>>>
>>>> On 11/21/20 1:18 PM, Chris Townley wrote:
>>>>> On 21/11/2020 18:42, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> VSI has announced a recent Python port for OpenVMS. (Python 3.9 and
>>>>>> 3.8.6 are the most current.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://twitter.com/VMSSoftware/status/1329794043556098051
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As for the new or new-to-me OpenVMS logo shown, there's a /fin joke
>>>>>> here somewhere, I just know it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>   From first look this is I64 only?
>>>>>
>>>>> Is this the future of Alpha here?
>>>>
>>>> Um, the future of Alpha has been pretty clear since it was discontinued
>>>> a couple of decades ago. VSI does still produce Alpha kits for many 
>>>> (but
>>>> not all) of its open source ports, though often shortly after the
>>>> Itanium kits appear.
>>>>
>>>> In the particular case of Python 3.x, however, I'm not sure if anyone
>>>> has yet ported the requisite libffi library to Alpha.  Last I heard,
>>>> doing so required knowledge of Alpha assembler, DWARF, Alpha function
>>>> signature details, and the OpenVMS calling standard.  Possibly other
>>>> things I'm forgetting.  People with all the necessary skills probably
>>>> have other things to do. Have you opened a ticket with VSI to ask for
>>>> support?
>>>
>>> When we do the port, Philippe Vouters and I, of libffi to OpenVMS we
>>> (mostly Philippe) do the port for Alpha and I64.
>>
>> Good to know.  Only the IA64 port is available here:
>>
>> <https://vmsfree.ouvaton.org/freen/index.php?s=libffi>
>>
>>> In fact, we do the port for Python.
>>>
>>> So you can build Python 3 on Alpha without any problem.
>>>
>>> A few months ago I have asked if anyone is interested having a Python
>>> 3.10 on Alpha, no replies, as all customers who use Python on OpenVMS
>>> are on I64, I only ld images for I64.
>>>
>>> All the sources, Python 3.10 and libffi and others are on
>>> https://foss.vmsgenerations.org/
>>
>> Which points to a GitLab sign-in page.  Apparently one has to have an
>> account to see anything there.  Which also means nothing there will turn
>> up in a web search because the search engines won't be able to see
>> anything behind the authentication wall.
>>
>>> So if you want a Python 3 on Alpha it's not very difficult to build it.
>>>
>>> And Python 3.10 will be provided on X86-64, I have build some libraries
>>> without any problem, the only expected one will be libffi.
>>>
>>> The Python 3.10 port have the same VMS extension as the 2.7 version.
>>> This is very important for customers who have large Python applications
>>> on VMS.
>>>
>>> Currently, the only limitation is that Python 3.10 expect some modern
>>> CRTL so need VSI VMS version with latest CRTL patches. But I know
>>> someone which is investigating is it can be backported to 8.4 HP 
>>> version.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> JFP
>>>
>>
> 
> I do not see why an account to see the vmsgenerations content is an issue.

I already explained that people who don't know it's there will never be
able to find it. It's also just another hoop to jump through when it's
easy enough to allow public access to a GitLab project:

<https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/public_access/public_access.html>

> I find it more noteworthy that JFP has a Python 3.10 available for IA64
> since some time back (this summer) while the VSI version is currently on
> 3.9 or 3.8.6.

JFP's work is exemplary but 3.10 is still in pre-release and really
should not be used in production.  VSI's release of 3.8.2 is pretty much
in line with what other vendors are doing, assuming they have even moved
to Python 3.