Why is Python popular, while Lisp and Scheme aren't?

[Pascal Costanza]

Greg Ewing wrote:
> Pascal Costanza wrote:
> 
>> Greg Ewing wrote:
>>
>>> Python still goes one better, because (for user-defined
>>> methods at least) you can supply arguments by keyword even
>>> if they *haven't* been declared that way!
>>
>>
>> No problem.
>>
>> (defun paint (&key on at &allow-other-keys)

> 
> No, I was talking about the way you can do
> 
>   def f(x, y):
>      ...
> 
> and call it as
> 
>   f(y = 42, x = 17)
> 
> In other words, you don't have to know when you write
> the function that you're going to want to call it with
> keywords later -- you just do it.

Ah, I see - that's indeed very nice!


Pascal

-- 
Given any rule, however ‘fundamental’ or ‘necessary’ for science, there 
are always circumstances when it is advisable not only to ignore the 
rule, but to adopt its opposite. - Paul Feyerabend