Could Python supplant Java?

[David Brown]

"Tom Davies" <tomdavies at optushome.com.au> wrote in message
news:3d60c218$0$29908$afc38c87 at news.optusnet.com.au...
> David Brown wrote:
>
> [snip]
> >     5) The use of "__" for hiding private members is genial - users of a
> > class can access private members if they really *really* have to,
without
> > making them fully visible to everyone else.  In stricter languages like
> > C++ or Java, class members typically start of private but get changed to
> > being public during development when it turns out that they are needed
> > externally. With python, interfaces can be designed neatly and stay
neat.
>
> No, any competent developer adds accessor functions, which still hide the
> implementation.

How much code do you think is written by competent programmers?  In
particular, competent software designers are much rarer than people who can
write code that works, but can't design a good interface.

>
> [snip]
>
> >     2) Java has strongly typed variables that are declared before use,
> > Python has run-time typing and variables are defined as needed.  Each
> > system has its advantages and disadvantages.
>
> That would kill Python for me. I like compile time type-checking.
>

As I said, it's an advantage and a disadvantage.  I too like compile-time
type checking, but it is also nice to be able to be flexible with the
typing.  Python is not a replacement for all other programming languages
(not for me, anyway), but I find it makes sense for a fair proportion of my
programming.

> Tom
>
> --
> "Optimism is a duty. The future is open. It is not predetermined. No one
> can predict it, except by chance. We all contribute to determining it by
> what we do. We are all equally responsible for its success."
>   Karl Popper