Index: jython/src/org/python/core/imp.java
===================================================================
--- jython/src/org/python/core/imp.java	(revision 3142)
+++ jython/src/org/python/core/imp.java	(working copy)
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@
      *         compiledFilename couldn't be determined of if an error was thrown
      *         while writing to the cache file.
      */
-    private static String cacheCompiledSource(String sourceFilename,
+    public static String cacheCompiledSource(String sourceFilename,
                                               String compiledFilename,
                                               byte[] compiledSource) {
         if(compiledFilename == null){
Index: jython/src/org/python/modules/py_compile.java
===================================================================
--- jython/src/org/python/modules/py_compile.java	(revision 3142)
+++ jython/src/org/python/modules/py_compile.java	(working copy)
@@ -10,21 +10,32 @@
     });
 
 
-    public static void compile(String filename, String cfile) {
-        compile(filename, cfile, null);
+    public static boolean compile(String filename, String cfile) {
+        return compile(filename, cfile, null);
     }
 
-    public static void compile(String filename) {
-        compile(filename, null, null);
+    public static boolean compile(String filename) {
+        return compile(filename, null, null);
     }
 
-    public static void compile(String filename, String cfile, String dfile) {
+    public static boolean compile(String filename, String cfile, String dfile)
+        {
         File file = new File(filename);
         String name = file.getName();
         int dot = name.lastIndexOf('.');
         if (dot != -1) {
             name = name.substring(0, dot);
         }
-        org.python.core.imp.compileSource(name, file, dfile, cfile);
+        byte[] bytes=org.python.core.imp.compileSource(name, file,
+                                                       dfile, cfile);
+
+        // write the compiled code to disk:
+        org.python.core.imp.cacheCompiledSource(filename, null, bytes);
+
+        if (bytes.length>0) {
+            return true;
+        } else {
+            return false;
+        }
     }
 }