Java and Python

[Delaney, Timothy]

> From: Ahmed Moustafa [mailto:amoustafa at pobox.com]
> 
> 1. Where can I find an unbiased comparison between Java and Python?

Nowhere. The best place to look though is

http://www.python.org/doc/Comparisons.html

which has comparisons with various languages.

> 2. Will Python dominate?

Of course! Actually, no language will ever dominate, and Java and Python are
not mutually exclusive (in fact, there is an implementation of Python which
runs on top of the Java VM and has full access to all java classes, etc ...
http://www.jython.org/.

> 3. Who does support Python?

What type of support are you talking about? If you want commercial support,
I think ActiveState gives it. If you are talking about who maintains and
enhances Python, that's the Python development team in general (but with a
lot of community involvement.

If you are asking these questions to decide if you should learn Python,
don't bother - the answer is an unqualified "yes". Python is very easy to
learn, and will make it much easier to learn other languages. If you are
asking to decide if you should learn either Java or Python, the answer is
"no" - learn both. Then learn a few more languages. But Python is a great
language to start with.

Tim Delaney