Python and Flaming Thunder

[Torsten Bronger]

Hallöchen!

Dave Parker writes:

> [...]
>
> Perhaps.  Flaming Thunder is only $19.95 per year for an
> individual (and even less per individual for site licenses), which
> is less than the cost of just one book on Python.

First of all: Although I consider myself part of the Free Software
community, I have no problems at all with such a licence model.

But ...

> [...]
>
> Plus, me getting paid to work on Flaming Thunder is far more
> motivating than me not getting paid to work on Python.  This
> weekend, Python users will still be debating how to fix
> awkwardnesses in the languages (such as FOR loops where you're
> just counting the loops and not referencing the loop variable) --
> but Flaming Thunder users will be getting work done using the
> REPEAT n TIMES constructs that I'll be implementing.

Well, this is besides the point in my opinion.  First, what you
consider a wart may be loved by someone else.  I for example would
consider a "REPEAT n TIMES" feature as Ruby offers it (and soon FT
apparently) ugly because it is superfluous.

And secondly, *every* language has their warts.  So many languages
start as clean babies because they offer little and focus on a
specific domain.  But grown up, they include the same dirty tricks
and suprising corners as the big languages.

For me being a physicist and a hobby programmer, FT still is a toy
language.  Cute but titchy.  It surely has its applications, but if
you produce pocket calculators, don't tell a computer manufacturer
that your machines are much simpler to use.  Instead, both things
simply have their purposes.

> Python has been around about 15 years, yet still has those
> awkwardnesses.  Flaming Thunder has been out less than 6 months
> and those awkwardnesses are already getting fixed.  The
> difference: I can't afford to ignore users.

Really, the Python developers listen *very* carefully what the users
want.  Of course, the response time in Python is months rather than
days, which has turned out to be a good thing more than once.

Tschö,
Torsten.

-- 
Torsten Bronger, aquisgrana, europa vetus
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