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

[Alex Martelli]

Kenny Tilton wrote:
   ...
>> -- Dylan has no lisp-oid syntax, yet Dylan's capabilities do appear to be
>> quite similar to Lisp's at least at the level of approximation that
>> "major source" would seem to entail.
> 
> Pardon the hearsay, but more knowledgable CL folks than I, when this
> comes up, always say the sexpr notation is vital to CL. Macros, I think,
> are one example. But don't hold me to that. Code as data? Something like
> that.
> 
> Mind you, Dylan /does/ capture much of CL, so you are not far off.

Dylan has macros too.  So isn't "major source" at least an overbid, if "I'm 
not far off" in stating that a language with a totally different syntax
can "capture much" of the same capabilities?


Alex