Slices of Py
Bits from the world of the Python programming language.


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Saturday, August 09, 2003
 

Reading Cameron Laird's review of Unix Power Tools,  I noticed that Python has been included.

The book I'm really waiting for is "Enough Python to Shoot Yourself in the Foot", a guide to Python style and programming through narrating critical to common and effeciency mistakes  (.Inspired by C/C++'s "Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot".)

Speaking of learning, It looks as if Mitch Kapor found a domain expert tutor for Python.  I was going to ask if he'd dismissed his tutor yet upon realizing Pythons 45 degree learning curve,er,vapor trail.. 


1:57:19 AM    

Notable stuff from the recently active Python Marketing list:

"> Instead of spending a lot of time and effort learning the tool, you
> can spend more time and effort doing the neat stuff  with the tool.

The way I've put it to people is that with C++, you spend more time
programming the language than programming the problem.  Maybe we could flip
that around: "With Python, you program the problem, not the language"." - [link]

I've wanted a zinger that infered that Python was closer to the problem domain, but that let to ambiguity. This phrase cuts off most ambiguity by stating the playing field: Programming Language.  This can support the "Right tool for the right job" argument.

Sure to offend those with a keener sense of computer science and most certainly langauge zealots, here's my first (and probably only!) taxonomy of programming language tool problem domains:

"programming the processor" - Machine, Assembly
"programming the computer" - C
"programming the shell" - shell script/awk/sed/perl
"programming the database" - SQL, COBOL
"programming the problem" - Python (Programming Language)
"programming the analysis (AI, etc.)" - LISP, Python..
"programming the application" - Python (Scripting Language)

Moral of the story: Friction is created when the wrong tool is used for the job. But sometimes the handle makes up for the difference so don't hyper-evangelize.

Russel Beattie has written 1,000+ words covering his perspective on Python. I'd love to bullet point and annotate, but I'm not up for that and will leave you with this teaser: "Using Python when compared to Java is like using Linux when compared to Windows." (Product Development/Marketing notes follow.)


1:37:34 AM    


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