Dulwich

What are C files doing in the distribution?

Asked by Ram Rachum

What are C files doing in the distribution? Dulwich is advertised as pure-Python, no?

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Jörg W Mittag (joergwmittag) said : 		#1

Just a guess: I believe they are alternative implementations of the corresponding Python files. In other words: if you install Dulwich on CPython and on a machine which has a C compiler, then it will use the C implementations, but if you install it on a machine without a C compiler, or on Jython or IronPython or in environments where C extensions are illegal (such as Google App Engine, for example), then it will use the Python files.

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Mkeeler (mjkeeler7) said : 		#2

Ubuntu 10.04 package information for python-dulwich says "All functionality is available in pure python, but for improved performance replacements of some modules written in C are also available. This package include the high performance versions."

So you are correct. You can get by without the C, but it is there to make it faster.

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Jelmer Vernooij (jelmer) said : 		#3

All of Dulwich functionality is available using the pure-Python implementation. Some functions have alternative implementations in C that are quicker than their pure-Python counterparts. These functions are (and will remain) optional but provide better performance.
FAQ #1259: “What are C files doing in the distribution?”.

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