Arguments for using Python

[Peter Hansen]

Duncan Smith wrote:
> 
>              I've been developing some prototype software for a government
> organisation.  It is almost entirely in Python.  But it now (after I've done
> most of the work) appears that they would prefer it to be written in Java or
> C.  Most of the guys in the organisation use C, but it's not the fact that
> they don't know Python that is really the problem.  They are very 'security
> conscious' and don't install new software on their network without good
> reason.  [....]
> But I need to put
> together a document to convince them that installing Python on their network
> is 'safe' [...]

Ask them for a copy of their "Security Policy", so you can address its
requirements directly in your response.

(Hint: they don't have one.  Almost certainly.  Anyone who is "very
security conscious" and yet writes lots of important code in C is
probably lying... or ignorant.  Okay, I'm being extreme there, but
I suspect they are just anti-anything unfamiliar, not really concerned
about security.)

The benefit of this approach is that if they really *have* a Security
Policy, then reassuring them why Python is really safe becomes much
easier...

-Peter