Adding static typing to Python

[Jeff Shannon]

Peter Milliken wrote:

>
> There are regular discussions on the usefulness of Python for "larger"
> projects. Many claim that they use it without any problems - I suspect that
> it is from a background of ignorance and lack of metrics ...

................

> Of course, it takes me longer to write
> up front but overall development effort (in my subjective opinion - since I
> have no metrics :-)) is that it is much lower.

So, you're just as guilty of the subjectiveness as those Python-supporters, yet
you feel justified in telling them that they're wrong?  :)

Standard disclaimer: I don't have any metrics either, nor am I familiar with Ada
at all, so I'm not making any specific claims either way.  However, there seems
to be enough people making the claim in Python's favor, that I'm inclined to
believe it until such time as I see real (objective) evidence that it's false.
I freely admit that I've never worked on a large (or even midsized) coding
project, in Python or otherwise, but in my year of using Python I can't recall a
single instance of a grueling debugging session finding a name- or type- error
as the cause.  When I compare this to how much time it took me to get C/C++
programs to compile at all, and *then* verify that they worked *correctly*,
Python is a clear win.  Again, perhaps Ada is easier than C++ (I'm sure that
*you* think so >wink< ), but all of my (limited) personal experience supports
the Pythonic claims.  (And please note, I'm intending this as a friendly
discussion, not a personal attack.  I'm *not* trying to flame you, by any means
-- I know I don't know enough to get away with that.  I just find it interesting
that you are always advocating Ada....)

Jeff Shannon
Technician/Programmer
Credit International