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Please explain why python rocks...

Joal Heagney s713221 at student.gu.edu.au
Thu Sep 7 04:09:05 EDT 2000 
nemir wrote:

> gchiaramonte at yahoo.com (Gene C) wrote in <1Eot5.27226$C42.1208445
> @newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net>:
>
> >Why not work through the python tutorial or get a copy of teach yourself
> >python and try it for yourself?
>
> As it turns out,  I now have my own copy of this book,  and I am beginning
> to read through it.   I wanted to have less investment in any language
> until after I had decided which to start with.

As a one-year occasional programmer, I can tell you why I like python.
        1. It IS easy to read, easy to understand, easy to use. No need to
worry about memory allocation, declaration of types etc. I've been spoilt with
Python as my first grown-up language (Basic doesn't qualify *grins*). When
somebody complains about these things, I just look at them blankly. It's like
when your grandparents talk about how they used to walk five miles barefoot to
get to school each day (And in winter they had to wrap their feet in barbwire
for traction).
        2. Nearly any job you want done, there will be a module or package out
there for it - saves a hell of a lot of time reinventing the wheel.
        3. It encouraged me to learn how to program properly with objects -
very useful when you have to deal with collections of information (e.g. atoms,
bonds, graphical elements in a molecular structure file.)
        4. wxPython is a very cool GUI library module, Boa as an IDE is
starting to look impressive. (Don't forget to look up IDLE, it's a nice system
as well.)
        5. It's possible to edit a module while a program is running, and
using reload, drop the newer version into your program. (Very useful in IDLE
sessions, especially when I'm trying to sort out how I want to do something.)
        6. As I haven't gone much into C programming (except for the necessary
editing of makefiles, *.h files etc. to get some source code for a python
module to compile *sighs*) I'm not sure how accurate my next statement is, but
with Python being built on C, and extensible with C, it's not unfeasible that
you may pick up some C knowledge - two languages for the effort of one.

Other specific features I like
        7. Exceptions, once I found out how to use them
        8. Python programs, with effort can be run as program or shell-tool.
V-nice.

Anycase, I wish you programming joy, no matter what language you choose.

Joal Heagney/AncientHart
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