[EuroPython] EPC2003: Would you give us your experience for a talk?

[Andrew Smart]

Hi folks,

I'm discussing a possible talk about project management for the Europython
Conference 2003 (EPC 2003) in June (you will come, of course, won't you?
;-).

The question is: is Python just a other programming language?
Or influcences the programming language the way projects are going and
their way to success or failure?

I can not answer this question, since I haven't been working as a project
manager for a Python based project.

But _you_ can answer this. Most interesting would be to hear from project
managers and developers who have gone throu a switch from e.g. C++ to
Python, Perl to Python or Visual Basic to Python.

If someone is interested to sharing his experiences, I would make a short
eMail interview and present the results as part of my talk on the EPC 2003.
Of course every participant would get the results also, with or without
showing up at the EPC. But since everyone comes... *wink*

Let's share the experiences!

Andrew

P.S.: Why I think that the switch to a different programming language should
have an influence...:

Languages influence the way we think. With every (spoken) language comes
a cultural and value-related context. If you are moving very much in such
a context (using the language) the context influences the way you interpret
and judge informations, which influences the way you communicate yourself.

>From my own personal experience I can say this also from programming
languages.
The way the programming language goes, the way I start to think if I use
this
language every day. And even the way you use the spoken language is sooner
or
later influenced by the structures of the programming language. Programming
is
building solutions, and you get used to a certain way to build solutions,
regardless if they are virtual or real-life solutions. Depending on your
real life, the personal structure and the way you grew up this effect may be
stronger or weaker, or not existent at all.

If you follow a discussion between Unix system administrators, Oracle PL/SQL
gurus and GUI visual basic developers you can see with a trained eye that
there
a big differences in thinking and the way solutions are approached. If you
look at the way a everyday C++ OOP programmers approaches a discussion
you'll
see the design of abstract data structures while the programmer talks. Of
course,
not every programmer, not every time. But I'm sure there is a tendency
(since
I see this every day...). I would say there is a straight relation between
lines
of code and style of speech... :-) If I remember my old 6502 ASSEMBLER
times...
I must have been talking like a hacker... *grin*

So, since you solve problems in Python in a different way than, say, C++,
a project which switches to Python should get a different style in
discussing,
problem solving and doing.

Is there a difference? You know the answer! Share it!