merits of Lisp vs Python

[Alex Martelli]

Paul Rubin <http://phr.cx@NOSPAM.invalid> wrote:

> "alex23" <wuwei23 at gmail.com> writes:
> > > Hosting providers and distro
> > > makers aren't concerned over whether Python works.  They
> > > care if C, C++, Java, PHP, and Perl work, but not Python or LISP.
> > > Ask them.
> > 
> > Do you have any real experience with recent linux distros? Or with any
> > _real_ hosting providers?
> 
> Care to name a "real" hosting provider that cares whether Python works?

The first name that comes to mind is xs4all, the major Dutch provider
(they've even got their own Wikipedia entry!-) -- they've long offered
outstanding sponsorship to the Python community, hosting lots of
services for us, btw.

But the OP's mention of "distro" ain't even funny -- ever since RedHat's
original implementation of RPM (in Python), ever more Linux distros are
positively _fanatical_ about Python.  Ubuntu, for example, has as its
BDFL Mark Shuttleworth, who (since, as he explains, he made his fortune
thanks to Python -- Python's what allowed him to build Thawte, which he
later sold for mucho dinero) is an unabashed fan of Python; the "XO"
(nee "One Laptop Per Child", OLPC, and once known as the "$100 laptop")
uses Python as its preferred (only?-) application language, and it's
slated to be the most widely distributed Python distro if it hits even
half of its ambitious target-numbers...


Alex