why python annoys me

Steve Lamb grey at despair.rpglink.com
Tue Apr 17 20:13:50 EDT 2001


On Tue, 17 Apr 2001 15:47:47 -0700, James Logajan <JamesL at Lugoj.Com> wrote:
>If your objection is that there are too many releases of the language, then
>I would agree completely. Guido and the entire Python development team need
>to take a five year vacation. Releasing new versions more often than about
>every two years, except for bug fixes, is probably self destructive.

    If Larry Wall's experience is any marker, no, it isn't.  Again, using
Larry Wall's experience major releases of the language come slower and slower
as the language matures.  Anyone have Larry's address to the Perl/O'Reiily
conference last year (Monterey, Ca)?  He even states that the releases come
slower and slower as time goes on.

    Ahh, here it is, no specifics, "As the size of the Perl core and libraries
gets bigger, it takes longer to rev a major release, so it naturally gets
slower. Perl 1, Perl 2, Perl 3, Perl 4, Perl 5. [Sound of beat on drum gets
slower] Then we start getting subreleases and then they get slower. Then we
get sub-sub versions, and they get slower and slower. Eventually the
subversions are taking as long as the original Perl 1 - Perl 2 thing, but
that's because they are actually accomplishing just as much."

    I know how people loathe Perl comparisons here but fast releases early on
are to be expected and it doesn't seem to have harmed Perl's advance through
the programming world.  In fact, wonder what we could devine from the Java
release schedule.  ;)


-- 
         Steve C. Lamb         | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
         ICQ: 5107343          | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
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