what is python?

[Paul Johnston]

Hello people.

I'm a relatively new programmer with a pretty strong java background.
Although I've never used python, I keep hearing more and more about it, and
I can't help but wonder what I'm missing.  I want to learn it, but I think
the fastest way is to put it to work right away.  Therefore, I guess I'm
trying to figure out what python excels in and then I'll allocate a
problem-domain (in my own work) to apply it to -- hopefully this will be the
most pragmatic approach.

So what are people using python for?  What types of problems is python
better suited relative to, say, java?  I do alot of server-side programming
& xml stuff.

Thanks for your input,

Paul