Java vs Python

[Cameron Laird]

In article <KzLT4.3373$Kc3.20912 at news-server.bigpond.net.au>,
Huy Do <huy at nsw.bigpond.net.au> wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I would just like to know how serious python is taken in the IT industry and
>how it compares to something like Java.
>
>For example
>
>If a web applicatoin was written in both Java and Python,
>which would companies prefer ?
>
>1. Which is more maintainable ?
>2. Which is more scaleable ?
>3  Which is faster eg. Java servlets or Python CGI with mod_python ?
>
>Please do not interpret this message as an excuse to discredit java or
>python. I am
>about to start a major web project using Java but have been referred
>to python as an alternative so I am investigating this option.
			.
			.
			.
Have you seen
<URL:http://www-4.ibm.com/software/developer/library/script-survey/>?

Which is faster?  Both are.  Run-time performance of the common
implementations (and Web embeddings) of Java and Python are suffici-
ently close that the comparison depends strongly on the details of
the application under consideration.  Vulgar recognition of this
often appears as, "benchmarks are garbage."  In fact, benchmarks are
very valuable.  It's quite likely in your case that run-time perfor-
mance is *not* a significant differentiator.

Others have already written you about scalability and maintainability.

Python's more portable than Java.  You didn't ask, but you should
know that.  Java's improving, and someday will probably dominate here.
A few years ago, we thought surely it'd happen by now.  It hasn't, yet.

As others have hinted, it's not necessary to put the two in opposition.
It can be quite rational to use both Python and Java, sometimes
together, with JPython (or even more esoteric bindings).  Yes, I
understand MISthink that claims to want to standardize on One True
Language.  If that's truly a constraint on you, we can discuss
strategies for dealing with it.
-- 

Cameron Laird <claird at NeoSoft.com>
Business:  http://www.Phaseit.net
Personal:  http://starbase.neosoft.com/~claird/home.html