How to sell Python ( and OpenSoruce )

[Courageous]

> > > I want to convince alot of my co-workers that OpenSource software,
> > > especially Python, is ready for big business. ( is it ?! )

Yes. In my opinion, it's easier to make fault-tolerant programs
in python than it is C++.

> > > How do I sell an OpenSource solution like Python to hardheaded
> > > closedsource-fanatics?

Find every angle from which closed-source is promoted, and show
them that Python beats them at it (hint, you won't be able to do
this, entirely, but you can try). :)-

> > > The thing is that these people don`t thrust OpenSource. They laugh at
> > > script-languages in general, ...

Script languages have a well-deserved reputation for being slow.
But perhaps it was your mistake for selling python as a "scripting
language". I'd call it, "a modern object oriented rapid prototyping
system" if it were me.

One of Python's great features is the relative ease with which you
can build external C connections to python. Or... the opposite. 
You could have a C/C++ core making occasional use of python scripts.

Furthermore, the python source core is VERY well written. Having
direct availability to the source allows you to investigate python
itself for bugs, right in the debugger of your choice.

A while back I mentioned a desire for a priority queue, and
a fellow c.l.p'er hammered one out in python for me within 2 days.
When was the last time one of your "closed source fanatics" had
the company which was supporting them assign a coder to craft
a solution for them immediately, without hesitation?

Never, I bet.

I mean, dang. There's people here on this group that, if you
allege a bug in the python interpreter, will compile a DEBUG
executible and trace through to verify the problem within
hours of you mentioning it.

Can you say the same of those closed source solutions? No?

Cat got your tongue? :)-



C/