Python vs. Perl, which is better to learn?

Thu May 2 01:40:06 EDT 2002

Andrew McNamara wrote:
> 
> >I have a lot of experience in ANSI C/C++, I want to learn a new
> >language and which it can help me in the work.
> >I just want to clear which(python or perl) is more comfort for me?
> 

This question comes up with painful regularity on virtually every
language newsgroup in existence.  The answers are almost always the
same.  I think we need a meta-answer which address the question
once-and-for-all for any language extant or future.  I thus humbly
submit the following as a candidate....

                 HOW TO PICK A PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
                 ----------------------------------
                           Tim Daneliuk
                       tundra at tundraware.com
                           May 1, 2002

Let L be the set of all programming languages ever conceived past, present,
and future.  The meta-question, M, thus becomes:

     Among all members of L, which is the "best" and thus, which should
     I learn and use?

A variant of M, let's call it M', is:

     Is L(x) "better" than L(y)?

Let P be the purpose for which you wish to learn a "best" language.

Let A be the answer to M or M' with condition P as a constraint.  A is
thus the following set:

1) P = "I am interested in the design of languages and/or language theory."

Learn as many members of L as time permits.  Do not pollute L with
your own ideas until you *really* understand what you are doing and
what has already been done.  Then do so only if you are convinced you
can materially add to the state-of-the-art with original and useful
work.  The world does not need another language just so you can prove
that you understand LR(1) grammars.  Implement a subset of at least
one existing language yourself to see just how hard this is to do
well.

2) P = "My current language is too slow/big in its appointed task."

Most of the time, these problems have a lot more to do with poor
programming and algorithm/data structure design than they do the
language.  *Really* get under the covers of your programming style and
design approach before you abandon the language you currently know
best.  Read Bentley's "Programming Pearls."  Learn to use a profiler.
Consider optimizations which merely replace the slow/big portions of the
code with something written in a naturally faster/smaller language.

3) P = "I have a specialty problem domain which is not well addressed
       by a general purpose programming language."

Research what has already been done.  You can often find close enough
matches to your problem within other problem domains to get something
useful done.  If there really is nothing useful out there, strongly
consider using one of the extant scripting languages to build a
"little language" of your own which addresses your problem area.  If
all else fails, ignore 1) above, and invent your own language, but
keep it as small and simple as possible, or you'll spend less time on
your chosen problem area and most of your time maintaining your new
language.

4) P = "I need to become/stay employable."

Survey common practice in your profession of choice and determine the
most common operating systems, GUIs, and languages already in use and
the probable evolution of these items in the next several years.
Based on this information, you should select one procedural language,
one object language, one scripting language, and, possibly, one
assembly language which will comprise your core skill set.  In
selecting these, also consider the availability of supporting tools
like standard libraries, debuggers, language-sensitive editors,
profilers, and so on.  If you have some choice of languages, always
prefer those that share a common link format and have compatible
inter-language calling APIs.  If it comes down to a tie, pick the
older language because it will almost always have fewer bugs.

5) P = "I want to write 'portable' code."

Warning: Computer Science Heresy follows.  I've already been burned
         at the stake in this matter, so put your matches away.

Code 'portability' is overrated.  Way more important is the
portability of your *programming skills*.  Languages come and go
(well, they never really *go*, do they), but a good programmer
expresses themselves well in pretty much any language.  This comes
with time, experience, reading other people's very good code and doing
it wrong over and over again.  The most portable language in the world
can't help you if you don't understand algorithms, data structures,
object decomposition, and how to trade off between them.  Writing
truly 'portable' code has as much to do with your understanding of the
underlying operating environments (hardware, OS, network, I/O, and
GUI) as it does with the language in question.

There are, of course, cases where portability *is* very important.
For example, if you are writing commercial software which must run on
lots of different platforms for your company to succeed.  In that
case, first see if you can find cross-platform library support so you
don't have to do it all yourself.

6) P = "I want to make lots of money."

Quit programming.  Become a rock star, actor, or corrupt politician.
The odds of getting rich in these fields, however slight, are probably
better than in programming.

7) P = "I've heard that OO is *the* way to do things, so I want the best
        OO language."

OO is one way to crack a problem.  It is not the only way.  More importantly,
it is often not a *good* way.  A solid OO language should be in your bag of
tricks, but it's not the only thing you will need.

8)  P = "I've heard that AI is *the* way to do things, so I want the best
         AI language."

See 7) above.

9)  P = "I want to produce code faster."

Type faster.  It doesn't matter what you type because if speed is your
goal you'll just become expert at writing buggy code, so why bother
with syntax and semantics at all?  *Correct* code is always produced
by people who are thoughtful and deliberate about what they are doing.
Oh, and in the long run, they're almost always faster getting things
done too.

10) P = "I want the <gender/species> of choice to like me and be
        impressed enough to go out with me."

See 6) above.

11) P = "The system I must use prescribes a vendor-defined language
        and tool set.  I want other choices."

See if there are Open Source or alternative vendor choices for that platform.
If not, master the languages/tools on that platform then broaden your horizons
as a matter of professional pride and employability.  See 4) above.

12) P = "I'm very nerdy.  All I like to do is code on as many different platforms
        with as many different languages as I can.  My Resume' is 14 pages long.
        I have not been out of the house since 1982.  Please help."

Get a life.  Read some poetry, or better still, write some (without
using curly braces or semicolons).  Learn a musical instrument that
does not require electricity in any form.  Get a low-tech hobby like
gardening or sewing.  You are an Addict - I feel your pain.  As a
recovery strategy, consider volunteering your skills to a cause that's
worth your time and effort and which requires you to interact with
people who have absolutely no clue how a computer works.  Try not to
be a jerk when the local minister does not grasp the elegance of your
finely tuned LaTeX macro for generating the Sunday Bulletin.  Do
something good for your body and your spirit.  I strongly recommend at
least one high-activity sport (channel surfing does not qualify) and
shooting semi-automatic handguns (at paper targets in a legal manner)
as excellent mind-clearing tools.  Collect something other than
computer manuals.

13) P = "I want to be famous."

Rob a bank and get caught.  OR  Write a *ton* of really useful code and
then give it away.

14) P = "I'm bored, I need a new challenge."

If you already know more than 5 languages, consider joining the Navy Seals -
they are very busy at the moment and are always looking for an Adventurer
just like you.   If you are over 19 and this is therefore impractical, get
married and raise children.  You will never be bored.

Tim Daneliuk
"Bach, Sig-Sauer, Gibson Guitars, Python, & My Table Saw Made Me What I Am Today."

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Daneliuk
tundra at tundraware.com