Python advocacy

[Paul Prescod]

Donn Cave wrote:
> 
> ...
> 
> The idea that Python can or should replace these scripting languages
> is equally dubious in my opinion.  Replace the UNIX shell with Python?

Not the interactive shell -- just the shell programming language.

(actually, I rather wonder if there isn't some variation on the Python
repl that could make it as convenient as any other shell and yet keep
compatibility with the Python flow control feeatures....)

> I think Python stands a much better chance of growing the
> muscles to compete with C++ and Java, than the flexibility to compete
> with scripting languages.

I've never heard anyone as knowledgable about Python as you claim that
it is *not flexible enough* to compete with anything. In what way is
"sh" more flexible than Python.

Okay, yes, in some cases a small program may be smaller in sh than in
Python. I've never consider the benefit in reducing 10 line programs to
2 lines worth the extra cognitive load of learning another stunted
language. 

On the other hand, I would gladly learn something that is *more
powerful* in some particular problem domain like constraint programming
languages or matrix languages. There's a big difference between stepping
up to something domain specific and stepping down to something
brain-dead. I wasted too many brain waves trying to make DOS batch files
useful to go that route again on Unix.

-- 
 Paul Prescod  - ISOGEN Consulting Engineer speaking for himself
"We still do not know why mathematics is true and whether it is
certain. But we know what we do not know in an immeasurably richer way
than we did. And learning this has been a remarkable achievement,
among the greatest and least known of the modern era." 
        - from "Advent of the Algorithm" David Berlinski
	http://www.opengroup.com/mabooks/015/0151003386.shtml