On Thursday 25 November 2004 08:51, Carl Cerecke wrote: > Python is definitely nifty. I use it often, and it is the easiest > computer language that I've ever learned (and I've learned a few).
Yes, I quite like Python so far. I decided to learn and use it Yesterday to write a script that needs to run on linux and windoze. The language itself is relatively straightforward to pick compared to perl or C++ for example but I'm not convinced that it's a great deal simpler than Java. >Note, though, that Java and Python fill different, but overlapping, > niches. Java's static type checking and rigidity will help in a large > project, whereas the more dynamic python is more suited to smaller > projects. There is a large middle ground where both are favourable. I agree with your observations. The other issues that might impact large 'multi developer' projects is the apparent limited support for encapsulation and separation of interface from implementation. On the other hand it does at least employ strong (dynamic) typing. Python looks ideal for scripting and prototyping and is a certainly very capable general purpose language. The dynamic typing and meta-class concepts remind me of Smalltalk in a way. The meta-programming and introspection facilities in Python look interesting, but I haven't had time to play with any of that yet.
