Beginning programming with Python

[Bernhard Reiter]

On Tue, 16 Nov 1999 18:34:57 +0100, Nemeth Miklos <nemeth at iqsoft.hu> wrote:
>Janos Blazi wrote:

>The only thing I wanted, is to point out a potential shortcoming (if at all)
>of Python -- I am not sure if the lack of compile-time type safety is really a
>badly needed feature.

It is a bit difficult to make a good case here.
The dynamic nature of python as advantages and disadvantes.
One of the latter being the possibility to have simple bugs in code
which was never executed and not strongly type-tested.

But, this dynamic nature allows for easier an more powerful programming.
Someone could pose the hypothesis that the
advantages in faster programming and easier reading will help the
stability of the programs more overal as introducing strong typing.

Because programmer will see mistakes earlier. Review is easier.
You'll find more capable programmers.


>I am neither a physicist nor a mathematician, I am a simple business software
>engineer. I like Python but I'd like to be convinced that Python is not only
>for scientific programming, but also for business programming. 

It is in my opinion.

>I'd like to know the general opinion of the "official" Python community on
>this (I think) important topic. 
How do you have an official community part of a free software project? :)

>As far as I understood, you are absolutely sure that Python is a perfect
>language, I have to trust in it without any hesitation?

Well no, of course.
Your statements were at least partially not perceived as questions.

I tried to make a point towards dynamic languages.
And additional advantage of python is, that the community has reached
the critical mass, universal, available(Free Software), that it is quite 
stable and realtively cross platform. 

Java would have the community but lacks
stability (in the definition) and has a bunch of cross platform issues.

Of course there are a bunch of very interesting languages out there, but
a plot of them just do have a smaller community or are not as simple as 
python (guile and pike come to mind.)

	Bernhard
-- 
Research Assistant, Geog Dept UM-Milwaukee, USA.  (www.uwm.edu/~bernhard)
Free Software Projects and Consulting 		         (intevation.net)  
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