if does not evaluate

[Hung Jung Lu]

Jacek Generowicz <jacek.generowicz at cern.ch> wrote:
> Python has many qualities, but let's stop kidding ourselves that its
> current state is some sort of global optimum in the space of
> programming languages.
> 
> In spite of its many qualities, Python has a number of
> shortcomings. Let's stop kidding ourselves that its shorcomings are
> features.

----------

Totally agree.

Two years ago or so, the Perl newsgroup/mailing-list overshadowed
Python's newsgroup/mailing-list. Today, the opposite is true. When I
started with Python, there was one single book, and it was not even
available in most bookstore. Python has come a long way in popularity.

However, some bad habits of Perl Mongers have been transplanted into
the Python community. In particular, blind advocacy/worship, and
refusal to hear/learn/see better features from other languages.

In term of smartness or powerfulness, Python is only about average.
Python is good because it kind of sits in the middle of many possible
technological directions. But when you see comments from people that
are bilingual in Python and other languages like Self/Io, Haskell,
Lisp, etc., it's easy to see that Python is frankly kind of
second-tier player, full of limitations and problems.

regards,

Hung Jung