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

[Courageous]

>2)      the extensions are defined by one person at the beginning of the 
>effort, documented as such, and the other programmers on the effort, or 
>in maintenance later, are NOT permitted to add their own favorite 
>constructs.

I'm sure that your list of ifs isn't the complete set, but let's agree
that the use of macros should generally be confined to areas for which
one fulfills a clear-and-present need. Let's further agree that macros
are often not held to this standard, resulting in the horrific lunacy
that you yourself point out:

>        #define THEN {
>        #define ELSE } else {
>        #define END }

:)

C//