ref: 6d25e194e2160a6ed8b2a7e399fff90e2215ff3c
dir: /sys/src/cmd/python/Misc/Porting/
Q. I want to port Python to a new platform. How do I begin? A. I guess the two things to start with is to familiarize yourself with are the development system for your target platform and the generic build process for Python. Make sure you can compile and run a simple hello-world program on your target platform. Make sure you can compile and run the Python interpreter on a platform to which it has already been ported (preferably Unix, but Mac or Windows will do, too). I also would never start something like this without at least medium-level understanding of your target platform (i.e. how it is generally used, how to write platform specific apps etc.) and Python (or else you'll never know how to test the results). The build process for Python, in particular the Makefiles in the source distribution, will give you a hint on which files to compile for Python. Not all source files are relevant -- some are platform specific, others are only used in emergencies (e.g. getopt.c). The Makefiles tell the story. You'll also need a pyconfig.h file tailored for your platform. You can start with pyconfig.h.in, read the comments and turn on definitions that apply to your platform. And you'll need a config.c file, which lists the built-in modules you support. Start with Modules/config.c.in. Finally, you'll run into some things that aren't supported on your target platform. Forget about the posix module for now -- simply take it out of the config.c file. Bang on it until you get a >>> prompt. (You may have to disable the importing of "site.py" and "exceptions.py" by passing -X and -S options. Then bang on it until it executes very simple Python statements. Now bang on it some more. At some point you'll want to use the os module; this is the time to start thinking about what to to with the posix module. It's okay to simply #ifdef out those functions that cause problems; the remaining ones will be quite useful.