Matlab vs Python (was RE: Discussion: Introducing new operators for matrix computation)

[Charles Boncelet]

Paul Prescod wrote:
> 
> Python 2 will likely have += and list comprehensions. Typechecking is
> scheduled for addition once the details are worked out.
> 
> If Python did not grow slowly and conservatively, I dare say that
> neither you nor I would be using it today. It would be just another
> overgrown language that caters to everyone's preferences.

I agree it should be selective about the features it adds.  But 
sometimes (no, *often*) I believe it is too selective and too slow 
to change. "+=", for instance, should have been added years ago.  
C had it in the 1970's; Perl had it in the 1980's. Python does 
not yet have it. Stodginess like this puts off a lot of programmers.

> 
> Your paragraph implies that Python would be more popular if it >attempted to adopt everything that is in popular languages. I think that that is 
> a simplistic view of language evolution.

Python would be more popular.  Witness Perl: it has adopted lots of 
ideas from its userbase and has grown immensely as a result. 

(IMHO, the main problem with Perl is not that it has adopted lots of
ideas, but that it didn't have a firm foundation to begin with. I.e.,
the core language is broken.  Python's core language is much stronger
and Python would be improved with some additions.)

-- 
Charles Boncelet                              302-831-8008
Dept of Electrical and Computer Engineering   302-831-4316 (fax)
University of Delaware                        boncelet at eecis.udel.edu
http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~boncelet/