[Tutor] From C to Python

[Kent Johnson]

Alan Gauld wrote:
> "Dhruva Kulkarni" <dhruva_lives at yahoo.com> wrote
>> Also, i couldn't find the keywords for data encapsulation
>> ( private protected in c++ )..
> 
> More seriously, much of the data protection used in C++ is
> due to the contraints of using a static, strictly typed data model.
> Once you get used to doing OOP using dynamic typing the
> need for that level of control becomes much lower. Again its
> the C/C++ culture of absolute control of the data showing through.
> Thats only really needed when you have to worry about byte
> alignment and register usage etc etc.

Reminiscing...when I first learned Java I was doing a lot of C++ coding. 
For a while I missed the expressiveness of C++, where you can say 
*exactly* what you mean, for example in the use of const.

After a while I realized that all that expressiveness didn't really buy 
me much safety or functionality, and that I was better off without it 
because it is just less to think about.

Switching from Java to Python I had to give up on static typing and 
realize that again, it is a lot of conceptual and (finger) typing 
overhead that doesn't really buy that much in safety or functionality.

Python skips all the bondage-and-discipline and goes straight to working 
code ;-) Now I look at Java and cringe and can't imaging writing 
C++...the biggest risk of learning Python is that you won't want to use 
any other language again :-)

Kent