Should I learn Python or Java?

[David Lees]

I only feel competent to answer your question 1, 3 and a bit of 4. I
have done VB over the years from version 1 to 5 along with a bit of C
and started playing with Python recently.  I have only done the 'hello
world' type Java programs, but I can tell you that Python is a LOT
easier in terms of learning curve.  I have done several smallish Python
programs (The biggest about 200 lines). and found it a pleasure to work
with.  It is a very different experience than VB, because the standard
IDEs (IDLE and PythonWin in the PC world) are not GUI builders. 
However, once I got a little familiar with the string library (for the
particular text processing I am doing) I found the environment pretty
good.  You can switch back and forth between an interactive screen and a
program you are writing/debugging.  I have found it real helpful to be
able to try out methods and functions interactively while coding.  The
experience is somewhat analogous to VB in terms of ease of debugging and
development, but the feel IS very different.  However, you will not find
anywhere near the number of books to guide you.

Also, this group is a big help for advice on specific language details.

Multiplatform?  It is excellent.  At my office we run both RedHat Linux
and NT and at home I run Win98.  The same source code runs all 3 OS
without modification.  Of course there are some functions that are OS
dependenent, like spawning and threads that you need to read the
documentation.  The book by Beazley is a real nice compact summary that
gives you a lot of this info.  The tutorial is a bit terse, so I would
suggest a book like the one by Alan Gauld (Learning to Program using
Python) or the Lutz and Ascher Book (Learning Python).

I have started to play with some of the internet capability.  My biggest
problem has been lack of examples, but I think there are several authors
working on remedying that.  Further, the simple cgi program that I wrote
and another simple URL reader that I wrote, with help from the folks on
this group, work great.

The only downside I can see is that in terms of jobs, Java seems to be
bigtime compared with Python.  However, if enough of us use it this
could change :)

david lees


<snip>
> 1.  Which language would be best to learn, Java or Python.  From a VB
> standpoint, which has the least learning curve?
> 2.  Is going from object-based to object-oriented programming that huge a
> jump?   I want to learn an OO language, however I plan on utilizing it in my
> career.
> 3. Which one is the most "fun" to program in?
> 4.  Is Python multi-platform?  How is it's performance compared to JAVA in
> an internet situation?  It's reliability?
> 5.  Do you for see Python as becoming a major player like Java servlets and
> MTS?  Can you see Python demand outstripping Java demand in 2 years time?
> 
> Many of these questions are in response to a post I saw earlier where Python
> was being touted as the next evolution of OO programming.  It went something
> like...
> C --> C++ --> Java --> Python.
> 
> I'm really interested in hearing from VB programmers that decided to jump
> into one or both of the languages,  has pretty good knowledge (enough to get
> a Java or Python job) and the headaches and experiences they had learning
> about them.  Do you need a formal CS education to grasp them?  I tried
> finding information on these two, but the experiences I always found were C
> or C++ programmers that tried to tackle them.  Some sites actually belittled
> me as a VB programmer.  Since I have heard such good things about this
> groups hospitality, I thought I would ask here first.  Thanks.
> 
> David Williams