[SciPy-user] python (against java) advocacy for scientific projects

[Sturla Molden]

On 1/19/2009 9:33 PM, Marko Loparic wrote:

> Specifically on this point, playing the devil's advocate, one could
> argue that using java we could also migrate the offending routine to
> C. Is there an element to argue that the Python/C mix is simpler or
> more powerful than the same for java/C?

You can use JNI with Java, and obtain the same effect. But as a 'glue 
language' Java is inferior to Python (i.e. Java is more verbose, and 
statically typed). And Java has shortcomings for scientific computing, 
such as no operator overloading and no complex number primitive. This is 
why projects like NumPy would not be possible with Java.


> I saw also somewhere the argument that python tools containing C/C++
> routines like numpy and wxpython are more naturally or easily made for
> python than for java. Is that really true?

NumPy: Python has operator overloading.

wxPython: No. Swig emits JNI code as well. And there is a wxWidgets 
wrapper for Java.


S.M.