Should I learn Python or Java?

[Joseph T. Adams]

Charlotte Williams <charlottwilliams at mediaone.net> wrote:
: Hello,

:     I am a Visual Basic programmer who wants to increase his knowledge of
: programming languages.  Now that the curses, boos, and barrage of rotten
: fruit are out of the way, I would like to ask this group a few questions
: :-) ...


Welcome to the Light Side.  We hope you'll stay!   :)


: I notice that there is a lot of demand for Java programmers.  The only
: experience I have with an OO language is Smalltalk.   My questions are:

: 1.  Which language would be best to learn, Java or Python.  From a VB
: standpoint, which has the least learning curve?

That probably is going to depend on what you want to do.  Java and
Python have different strengths.  I've found both fairly simple and
easy to learn.

Smalltalk is far more similar to Java than to Python, so this may make
Java feel a little more familiar for you.

But I'd strongly recommend learning *both* languages if possible.


: 2.  Is going from object-based to object-oriented programming that huge a
: jump?   I want to learn an OO language, however I plan on utilizing it in my
: career.

It is a jump for people who know only VB, but Smalltalk is arguably
the purest OOPL, so with that background you shouldn't have much trouble.


: 3. Which one is the most "fun" to program in?

I kind of like both.


: 4.  Is Python multi-platform?  How is it's performance compared to JAVA in
: an internet situation?  It's reliability?

Python is very portable/cross-platform - arguably in some respects
more so than Java.

Can't address the performance or portability issues as I've never had
any occasion to directly compare them.



: 5.  Do you for see Python as becoming a major player like Java servlets and
: MTS?  Can you see Python demand outstripping Java demand in 2 years time?

In 2 years, unlikely, since Java has a large and growing mindshare
inside medium to large IT organizations.

Over time, I would expect both to grow, largely at the expense of
lower level languages including C and VB.  Python will probably grow
faster, but I don't see it ever replacing Java because the two
languages have very different design goals and fill very different
niches.


: Many of these questions are in response to a post I saw earlier where Python
: was being touted as the next evolution of OO programming.  It went something
: like...
: C --> C++ --> Java --> Python.

: I'm really interested in hearing from VB programmers that decided to jump
: into one or both of the languages,  has pretty good knowledge (enough to get
: a Java or Python job) and the headaches and experiences they had learning
: about them.  Do you need a formal CS education to grasp them?  I tried
: finding information on these two, but the experiences I always found were C
: or C++ programmers that tried to tackle them.  Some sites actually belittled
: me as a VB programmer.  Since I have heard such good things about this
: groups hospitality, I thought I would ask here first.  Thanks.


I'm actually an xBase guy who was forced by the market into VB, but is
now trying to learn some more powerful (and portable) languages
including both Java and Python.  I don't have a strong CS background,
but wish I did, and am now belatedly beginning to focus more on
learning theory and application of that theory, rather than just the
mechanics of a specific tool, because it seems to have a much greater
effect on the quality and cost of the final product, particularly
during the maintenance phase.


Joe