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Python tutorial/comparison for C++ programmer

Will Ware wware at world.std.com
Thu Mar 23 12:52:56 EST 2000 
Michael Hudson (mwh21 at cam.ac.uk) wrote:
> I think you're being far too cynical; ... just what would they
> stand to gain from doing "real damage to Python as a useful language".

Here in the U.S., the public understanding of computers is largely
dictated by Microsoft. This isn't true on college campuses, or in
companies whose business centrally involves computers, but it's true
most everywhere else. The privilege of dictating a huge chunk of
American mindshare is quite valuable to them. They have an explicitly
stated corporate doctrine of "no leaks in the dam". They might some
day regard Python as a leak.

> even then, if micorsoft ship Visual Python (tm), how does this impact
> me?

Maybe I overstated the case a little, and it's true that all those
CDROMs with py152.tgz on them won't disappear, but two bad things
certainly would happen. All current venues for Python help (such as
this newsgroup) would be rendered instantly useless by the huge influx
of MSPy newbies, making today's newbies look like tenured brain
surgeons.

CPython and JPython would become the non-standard versions because
everybody's brother was using MS Python. If you put Python on your
resume in that world, you better be talking about MS Python, and if
you really want that job, you better have Microsoft Python
Certification. Mentioning CPython or JPython in a job interview would
become like talking about your high scores on video games.

-- 
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Resistance is futile. Capacitance is efficacious.
Will Ware	email:    wware @ world.std.com
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