PEP0238 lament

[Erik Max Francis]

Robin Becker wrote:

> The leadership seems to want to python become more available to a
> lower
> grade of student than first year undergraduates.
> 
> I think that is wrong, but I use python in a professional capacity. I
> think languages succeed or fail because they work for programmers.
> Division in computers is always discrete (unless we ever manage to get
> quantum things working).

I couldn't agree more.  Certainly there's no reason for a language to be
deliberately opaque, but the goal of the language (except a language
primarily intended for education) should be for programmers to get their
job done.

A good beginning programming language is one that has a simple syntax
and straightforward rules to follow.  Python already qualifies in that
capacity very well; I don't see any reasons to "dumb down" Python any
further in order to try to make Python easier for "non-programmers"
(non-programmers won't be programming anyway! :-) to use in areas where
the benefit to non-programmers will be questionable in the first place.

-- 
 Erik Max Francis / max at alcyone.com / http://www.alcyone.com/max/
 __ San Jose, CA, US / 37 20 N 121 53 W / ICQ16063900 / &tSftDotIotE
/  \ When the solution is simple, God is answering.
\__/ Albert Einstein
    REALpolitik / http://www.realpolitik.com/
 Get your own customized newsfeed online in realtime ... for free!