Two Ways to Compute a Checksum

Compare two bounded executable examples and their source changes. This article belongs to the synthetic M7 After inspection collection; its numbers, experiments, and local materials are fictional.

Compare a deliberately tiny checksum

Both executable examples return 42: the Python example sums six small values, while the prepared module exposes a constant result. This is a toy comparison, not a cryptographic checksum implementation.

Python playground

values = [2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12]
print(sum(values) % 256)

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<CodePlayground language="rust" wasmMediaId="eed52faa-0030-423b-a426-077a52f2b5dd" wasmVersion={1} displaySource="#[no_mangle]\npub extern "C" fn run() -> i32 { 42 }\n// Explanatory equivalent of the prepared fixture; no browser compilation." />

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Example	Expected result
Python toy checksum	42
Prepared WASM	42

The diff is a separate configuration-reader refactoring. Comparing independent surfaces on one page helps identify which control belongs to which example.

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A Tiny Prepared Rust Module offers another combination. Browse all showcase posts.