Should I learn Python or Java?

[Joseph T. Adams]

Martijn Faassen <m.faassen at vet.uu.nl> wrote:
: Joseph T. Adams <joe at apk.net> wrote:
: [snip]
:> Smalltalk is far more similar to Java than to Python, so this may make
:> Java feel a little more familiar for you.

: This I don't believe is true; Smalltalk is far more similar to *Python*
: than to Java. Syntaxwise, Smalltalk is as different from Java as it
: is from Python, and the semantics of dynamic typechecking is far
: more like Python than like than like statically-typed Java.
: The one aspect where Java and Smalltalk are more similar is that both
: have the tendency to isolate themselves into Java-only and Smalltalk-only
: environments, instead of focusing on interoperability. Oh, and another
: similarity between Java and Smalltalk is a focus on OO everywhere,
: where Python is more paradigm agnostic -- but the way they
        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
: try to accomplish it is quite different; Java basic types are not
: really objects as far as I know, for instance, whereas Python's are
: (with some restrictions).

: So why do you say Smalltalk is far more similar to Java than to Python?


Probably the part I underscored above.  Smalltalk and Java both seem
attuned to the same OO-centric mindset, while Python is as you say
more paradigm-agnostic.


Joe