[Python-Dev] Re: native code compiler? (or, OCaml vs. Python)

[Eric S. Raymond]

Brett Cannon <bac@OCF.Berkeley.EDU>:
> It was bad enough reading Paul Graham calling Python "water-down Lisp with
> infix syntax and no macros", but having Scheme being considered more
> dynamic is blasphemy in my book (but that might be because Scheme was
> forced upon me in school  =).

Yo.  Don't you be dissin' my homeboy Paul.  He is flyyyy.

Actually, I had a long lunch with Paul recently and am in a position to
state confidently that he thinks Python is pretty nifty.  

Yes, Paul has some LISP-inspired criticisms.  I agree with some (yes,
Python would be a better language if it were a little more
expression-oriented) and I disgree with others (I have regretfully
concluded that macros are a bad idea). On the other hand, he concedes
that dict as a first-class type is a very good idea, and that the
Python OO system is right in style even if arguable in detail.

Paul's website recommends Python as the best alternative if you can't
do LISP; see <http://www.paulgraham.com/faq.html>.  Under the
circumstances (which include the fact that he's one of the two or
three influence leaders of the LISP community) that's about the
strongest endorsement one could expect.

Guido, if you ever get a chance to hang with Paul, take it.  He's an
very intelligent and capable person, well-spoken, a natural leader,
and no mean language designer himself.  Knowing both of you, I predict
you would get along famously and learn a lot from each other.

In fact, you could do a lot worse for a keynote speaker at a future
Python conference than to invite him.  And then listen to his talk
carefully.  Very few people would be better qualified than Paul
as a friendly critic from a different tradition.
-- 
		<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>