

Zig as a Multi-OS Build System (with Loris Cro)
11 snips Jul 17, 2024
Loris Cro from the ZigLang team discusses how Zig can compile C across different architectures, benefiting languages like Python and Rust. They explore improving build processes, dependencies, and Python as an interface to C libraries. Zig's role as a multi-OS build system and its interoperability with C are highlighted, along with creating a static Python interpreter with Zig and using Zig for static site generation.
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Python's C Dependence
- Python democratized access to C libraries, letting non-C programmers use them.
- Popular libraries like TensorFlow and NumPy rely heavily on C.
Python Wheels Improved C Library Handling
- Chris Jenkins recalls struggling with C libraries in early Python, unlike JavaScript or brew.
- Python wheels improved this by pre-building binaries, shifting the burden to developers.
Zig Simplifies Cross-Compilation
- Zig helps by bundling libcs, avoiding system-wide settings.
- Package authors can use Zig for cross-compilation, simplifying wheel creation.