Language forks (was: Python tutorial/comparison for C++ programmer)

[Steve Holden]

In Microsoft's defense (what, me? this must be my good deed for
the week) we should remember that they DO have occasional good
ideas such as ODBC.  I'm aware it has shortcomings, but it's
made multi-platform database systems a practical reality.

And, of course, mxODBC (among others) brings these benefits
to the Python world too.

The thing that freaks me about Microsoft is the bringing to
market of products that were clearly designed by people (?)
with minimal industry experience, full of kluges and not at
all orthogonal in design.  Then they were implemented by a
further bunch of fresh graduates.  And instead of writing these
deviations off as bad idea Microsoft actually DEFENDS them.

Just goes to show how difficult it is to find and retain good
staff, I suppose.

How unlike the recent "Multi-argument append() was a bad
idea, so it's being removed" decision.

regards
 Steve

Mark Hammond wrote:
> 
> "Grant Edwards" <nobody at nowhere.nohow> wrote in message
> news:slrn8dt5fb.bin.nobody at isis.visi.com...
> > Cameron Laird wrote:
> > >
> > > how does it happen that CPython and JPython
> > > happily co-exist?
> >
> > Because they've decided to?  The goal of one is not to kill the
> other. That
> > can rarely be said of MS's attitude towards other entities in the SW
> world.
> > MS seems to actively attempt to diverge from standards in order to
> try to
> > kill off those standards and establish their own dominance.
> 
> This also works in reverse - I think it would be accurate to say that
> the rest of the industry is very suspicious of MS, and very relucant
> to work with MS or embrace their standard deviations - even on the
> (possibly rare) occasions when it is a necessary and well designed
> extension.
> 
> Don't forget that CPython also made concessions to JPython - wanting
> to work with each other cuts both ways...
> 
> Mark.

--
"If computing ever stops being fun, I'll stop doing it"