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42 changes: 20 additions & 22 deletions docs/starting/which-python.rst
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Expand Up @@ -20,38 +20,37 @@ The Future (Python 3)

`Further Reading <http://wiki.python.org/moin/Python2orPython3>`_

Python 3, on the other hand, differs much more greatly from Python 2, so
writing code that works both on Python 2 and Python 3 is a very complicated
The difference between Python 3 and Python 2 is much greater, therefore
writing code that works in both Python 2 and Python 3 is a very complicated
process.

It is still possible to `write code that works on Python 2.6, 2.7 and 3.3
<http://lucumr.pocoo.org/2013/5/21/porting-to-python-3-redux/>`_. Depending on
the kind of software you are writing, this might be either tricky or extremely
hard, and if you're a beginner there are much more important things to worry
about.
It is possible to `write code that works on Python 2.6, 2.7 and 3.3
<http://lucumr.pocoo.org/2013/5/21/porting-to-python-3-redux/>`_. This
ranges from tricky to extremely hard depending upon the kind of software
you are writing; if you're a beginner there are far more important things to
worry about.

Implementations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are several popular implementations of the Python programming language on
different back-ends.
When people speak of *Python* they often mean not just the language but also
the CPython implementation. *Python* is actually a specification for a language
that can be implemented in many different ways.

CPython
-------

`CPython <http://www.python.org>`_ is the reference implementation of Python,
written in C. It compiles Python code to intermediate bytecode which is then
interpreted by a virtual machine. When people speak of *Python* they often mean
not just the language but also this implementation. It provides the highest
interpreted by a virtual machine. CPython provides the highest
level of compatibility with Python packages and C extension modules.

If you are writing open-source Python code and want to reach the widest possible
audience, targeting CPython is your best bet. If you need to use any packages
that rely on C extensions for their functionality (e.g., numpy) then CPython
is your only choice.
audience, targeting CPython is best. To use packages which rely on C extensions
to function, CPython is your only implementation option.

Being the reference implementation, all versions of the Python language are
available as CPython.
All versions of the Python language are implemented in C because CPython is the
reference implementation.

PyPy
----
Expand All @@ -63,19 +62,18 @@ features a just-in-time compiler and supports multiple back-ends (C, CLI, JVM).
PyPy aims for maximum compatibility with the reference CPython implementation
while improving performance.

If you are looking to squeeze more performance out of your Python code, it's
If you are looking to increase performance of your Python code, it's
worth giving PyPy a try. On a suite of benchmarks, it's currently `over 5 times
faster than CPython <http://speed.pypy.org/>`_.

Currently PyPy supports Python 2.7. PyPy3 which targets Python 3 was recently
available as a beta release. [#pypy_ver]_
PyPy supports Python 2.7. PyPy3 [#pypy_ver]_, released in beta, targets Python 3.

Jython
------

`Jython <http://www.jython.org/>`_ is a Python implementation that compiles
Python code to Java bytecode that is then executed in a JVM. It has the additional
advantage of being able to import and use any Java class like a Python
Python code to Java bytecode which is then executed by the JVM (Java Virtual Machine).
Additionally, it is able to import and use any Java class like a Python
module.

If you need to interface with an existing Java codebase or have other reasons to
Expand All @@ -88,7 +86,7 @@ IronPython

`IronPython <http://ironpython.net/>`_ is an implementation of Python for the .NET
framework. It can use both Python and .NET framework libraries, and can also
expose Python code to other .NET languages.
expose Python code to other languages in the .NET framework.

`Python Tools for Visual Studio <http://ironpython.net/tools/>`_ integrates
IronPython directly into the Visual Studio development environment, making it
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