Why Python is like BASIC ... java "vs" python

[john coppola]

OK fellas, I'm gonna break it down for you.  Python is
nothing like BASIC or perl.  Neither is Java like C++.
 I will admit that I used BASIC.  A friend turned me
on to Python.  I never looked back.  You cannot
compare things on basis of how they appear or the
syntax of the language or certain similarities.  You
have to know what problem the language is trying to
solve.  What is its philosophy.

When I look at a string in java I view it in a
completely differently way than I do a Basic string or
a string in C++. Every language is useful at
something.  Cobol is great at file extraction on IBM
mainframes using JCL batch jobs.  Use it for anything
else and it is completely inadequate.  I fully
understand the philosophy of Cobol and know what it
was useful for and the problem the language was
attempting to solve.

You will begin to see that basic and python are
nothing alike even though they are both interpreted. 
In what way is basic interpreted.  In what way is perl
interpreted?  Thats like saying a fish is a whale
because they both swim in water.  Java is not at all
similar to C++.  Different.

Sorry to be so harsh.  Long day..

-john

--- "Elton M. Labajo" <elton at mybizlinks.net> wrote:
> I like the idea of lite and full version :)
> > Reading the first few chapters of _How to Think
> Like a Computer
> > Scientist_ (http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCSpy/
> for those who haven't
> > heard of this book), I was struck by how Python
> resembles BASIC in some
> > ways that make it a very good language for
> teaching:
> >
> > * Interpreted, so there's immediate feedback.
> Students can just type
> >  'python' at the command prompt and start coding,
> receiving *immediate*
> >  feedback on the effects of what they type.
> >
> > * Non-scary assignment and output statements. In
> fact, Python and
> >  BASIC's output statments look identical. "Print"
> is a natural choice
> >  for ease of understanding. Using sys.stdout.write
> can come later, once
> >  students begin to realize that they don't always
> *want* a newline or
> >  space appended to their output.
> >
> > * No need to declare variables. Use them and they
> are immediately
> >  created for you, ex nihilo.
> >
> > All three of these things make for a very low
> barrier-to-entry for
> > people who've never done any programming before.
> I'm sure there are
> > other similarities as well, that maybe someone
> else will point out. Of
> > course, Python goes beyond BASIC in many ways:
> >
> > * NO LINE NUMBERS! Enough said.
> >
> > * Rich control-flow statements. Of course, this is
> available in more
> >  modern versions of BASIC, but back when I was
> first learning to
> >  program (at age six, using BASIC), all I had was
> conditional GOTO. You
> >  know, IF condition GOTO line-number. Or, for the
> advanced students, IF
> >  condition GOSUB line-number (I never did
> understand the necessity for
> >  that kind of statement until well after I'd
> stopped using BASIC
> >  entirely and moved to more "modern" languages
> like... Pascal).
> >
> > * Batteries included. This is the big one, which
> makes Python more than
> >  just a toy language suitable for learning. The
> richness of the
> >  standard library makes Python incredibly useful,
> and I for one would
> >  like to see it continue to grow. I understand the
> concern that people
> >  developing Python-based programs for distribution
> would like their
> >  users to be able to run a 100k script without
> downloading a 10M
> >  distribution, but I don't want to see that cause
> a reduction in the
> >  standard library. Instead, we could make make two
> Python
> >  distributions, a "full" install containing
> everything and a "lite"
> >  install containing only the interpreter and maybe
> -- *maybe* -- a
> >  couple of essential modules like os and sys. Then
> people developing
> >  Python programs like, say, a pygame-based game,
> could distribute a
> >  single package containing the "Python lite"
> distribution, their own
> >  code, and any other modules their code depended
> on -- all in one
> >  easy-for-the-end-used-to-install package.
> >
> > Anyhow, I hope this helps develop some ideas.
> >
> > --
> > Robin Munn
> > rmunn at pobox.com
> > --
> >
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games
http://sports.yahoo.com