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A ProgrammingLanguage possibly best described as "the other scripting language". It forces cleaner style than its begrudged older brother [Perl] allows as the lowest common denominator.

This is a good language to learn if you only program occasionally out of necessity. (E.g. if you are a WebMonkey who needs do odd things with text, [XML] and structured data every now and then.) Those who like it find [Python] code unusually easy to read, which is good if you are returning to a script you wrote 3 months ago; and it has a very complete standard library, so you don't have to start from scratch when working on common tasks.

It is rather unusual in that indentation (leading whitespace on a line) is the only means of syntactical scoping. Not everyone appreciates this dictatorship, though it does force people to do what many seem not to have the discipline for in [Perl].

 Python's syntax succeeds in combining the mistakes of [Lisp] and [Fortran]. I do not contrue that as progress.
 %%% --LarryWall in [20040512161005.GB3902@wall.org | http://www.nntp.perl.org/group/perl.perl6.language/17380] (also, see [20040512155636.GA3902@wall.org | http://www.nntp.perl.org/group/perl.perl6.language/17379])

See also:
* PythonNotes
* [Python homepage | http://www.python.org]
* [Python Wiki | http://www.python.org/cgi-bin/moinmoin/]

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The import script for the wiki was written in [Python], [have a look at my appauling code | http://coders.meta.net.nz/conv.py].

  Note also his "appauling" spelling! ;) -- GreigMcGill

  Dammit, Greig! I'm a programming, not a dictionary -- PerryLorier

  Was that irony? ;) -- GreigMcGill

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CategoryProgrammingLanguages, CategoryVeryHighLevelProgrammingLanguages

Last edited on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 3:58:43 am by AristotlePagaltzis

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