Why is Python popular, while Lisp and Scheme aren't?

[Jacek Generowicz]

Robin Munn <rmunn at pobox.com> writes:

> Jacek Generowicz <jacek.generowicz at cern.ch> wrote:
> > 
> >> But what I'd really like before I try Lisp again is a special
> >> color-highlighting mode 

[...]

> >> where each indentation level would be a different color (foreground?
> >> background?).
> > 
> > ... Just curious ... have you ever felt the need for such an
> > indentation-based colour-highlighting feature when programming in
> > Python?
> > 
> > If so, has the lack of it hindered you from programming in Python ?
> > 
> > If not, what makes you think that it would be useful in Lisp?
> 
> What I'm going off of here is my memory of having to count and re-count
> parentheses as I was writing to make sure that I was putting in the
> right number of closing parens to finish a structure.

To me, this sounds very much like "... my memory of having to count
and recount all the spaces, when programming in Python, to make sure
that my blocks lined up."

> With color-highlighting, I could at least be certain *at a glance*
> of which paren was lining up with which.

I still fail to see why you think colour highlighting is necessary, or
even useful for this. Emacs highlights matching parentheses, brackets
and braces for me. I would find it hard to believe that other editors
do not have such capabilities. (If your editor cannot provide such a
feature, well, it might be time to reconsider your choice of editor.)

> Yes, I know I could use % in vi, and that there is some equivalent
> function in emacs, but that would be much slower than just seeing
> it.

I don't understand the distinction. The cursor is at some parenthesis;
the matching parenthesis is highlighted. I see it. It's immediate. I
can't imagine anything faster.

> And the reason for it is because I still don't understand how to
> indent *properly* in Lisp, and can't find a good reference on how to
> indent properly.

Follow the advice you yourself gave upthread: trust the editor on
indentation.

> Color highlighting would at least give me the visual cues I need
> until I learn to indent.

Sorry, I still don't get this one. (My editor's indentation and paren
matching features give me all the visual cues I need.)

> Out of time. Must go.

Ditto :-)