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

[Greg Ewing]

Syver Enstad wrote:

> On another note, I think the Smalltalk method call (keyword message send)
> syntax is fabulously readable, why haven't anybody picked that up?
>

> Python has a kind of middle ground with its keyword messages,
> which is good but not quite as nice as Smalltalk.


On the contrary, I think Python's keyword arguments are an
improvement in many ways. You can supply them in any order,
and, if default values have been defined, selectively include
or omit them as desired.

To get that much flexibility with Smalltalk requires defining
a bunch of different versions of each method, and then you're
restricted to whatever combinations and permutations the author
of the class thought to provide.

I've been dabbling in Objective-C recently, and I keep wishing
I could use keywords the Python way in that language...

-- 
Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept,
University of Canterbury,	
Christchurch, New Zealand
http://www.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/~greg