Python is wierd!

[Jonathan]

In article <Pine.A32.3.90.1000725123438.17707C-
100000 at elvis.med.Virginia.EDU>,
  "Steven D. Majewski" <sdm7g at Virginia.EDU> wrote:
>
> On Tue, 25 Jul 2000, Jonathan wrote:
>
> > Yep, point taken. I think the book did a good job by listing out all
> > the potential gotchas that might trap a newbie. What i was thinking
is
> > the nature of the 'gotchas' that arise in python. My knowledge in
> > programming is quite shallow(i must admit), and my progress was
> > from 'pascal'->'c'->'c++/java'->'perl'->'php'. Along the way, of
course
> > there are a few 'gotchas' in each language, but most of them did not
> > throw much surprises(except perl - the 'blessing' part for e.g.)
>
> Jonathan:
>     Tim and others have answered some of your specifics, but
> I'm still worried about you! I'm afraid that these 'feelings' about
> Python being 'weird' are just a sign of your overly sheltered
> upbringing (in programming languages, that is. c/c++/java just
> barely count as separate languages and Perl seems to have been your
> only walk on the wild side!)

Yep, PERL (and PHP) has been my only walk on the 'wild side' so far:) I
like PERL at first, the loose type-checking, simpler syntax and
powerful regexp functions really introduce me to the 'beautiful' world
of scripting languages. However, its vast array of features and
the 'There's More Than One Way To Do It' attitude seems counter-
productive at times (hastily and badly-written code, for e.g.).

Moreover, i'm a believer in OOP programming, and that's what gets me
interested in Python. I like the idea of using spaces as block
delimiters, as i understand its intention of 'forcing' readable codes
and good programming habits. IT's just that i never expected its OOP
constructs can be so 'loose', for e.g. you can even declare a instance
variable out of the <class> scope(am i right?), or you put static
methods OUTSIDE of the class. From the postings so far, i began to
understand the reasons for them; but the nagging feeling is that ppl
may just 'mix' them too much and create unreadable codes.

>     If you think Python is weird, then you haven't seen very much!
>
> I suggest you:
>
> [1] Get a copy of Jean Samet's old book on programming languages plus
>     volumes I and II of HOPL - History of Programming Languages out
>     of the library and read. ( And if you don't have time to read,
>     then at least look at the "geneology" chart. )
>
> [2] Below is a partial list of languages outside of the C/Pascal/Algol
>   tradition that have significantly contributed to ideas about
>   programming and programming languages. If you can afford to spend
>   a couple of weeks each learning a few from that list, it will
>   expand your horizons amazingly!
>
>   Lisp|Scheme, FORTH, Smalltalk, Snobol, Icon, APL|J,
>   Prolog, Haskell, ML, Intercal, ...
>
> [3] Read Peter Landin on "The Next 700 Programming Languages"
>
Err...i don't think i have the time now:) In fact, i'm trying to learn
python and Zope at the same time (as fast as possible), as I have an
upcoming web development project, where i need to assess the
feasibility of using Zope as a development tool.

regards,
jonathan


Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.