Steven D'Aprano <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 13:03:29 +0100, Alex Stapleton wrote: >> Perl is more like a CISC CPU. There are a million different commands. >> Python is more RISC like. >> Line count comparisons = pointless. > > Not so. > > Every line = more labour for the developer = more cost and time. > Every line = more places for bugs to exist = more cost and time.
There were studies done in the 70s that showed that programmers produced the same number of debugged lines of code a day no matter what language they used. So a language that lets you build the same program with fewer lines of code will let you build the program in less time. > I find it sometimes helps to imagine extreme cases. Suppose somebody comes > to you and says "Hi, I want you to develop a web scrapping application to > run on my custom hardware." You look at the project specifications and > realise that the hardware has no OS, no TCP/IP, no file manager, no > compiler. So you have to quote the potential customer on writing all these > layers of software, potentially tens of millions of lines of code. > Even porting an existing OS to the new hardware is not an insignificant > job. Think how much time and money it would take. Then factor in the profits to be reaped from selling the ported OS/compilers :-). <mike -- Mike Meyer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.mired.org/home/mwm/ Independent WWW/Perforce/FreeBSD/Unix consultant, email for more information. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list