Python syntax in Lisp and Scheme

[Andrew Dalke]

Doug Tolton:
> I have this personal theory (used in the non-strict sense here) that
> given enough time any homogenous group will split into at least two
> competing factions.

Reminds me of Olaf Stapledon's "First and Last Men"?  His
civilizations often had two roughtly equal but opposing components.

Also reminds me of learning about the blue eyed/brown eyed
experiment in my sociology class in high school.  As it turns out,
I was the only blue-eyed person in the class of 25 or so.  :)

> Over time it seems to me that human
> beings are incapable of remaining as one single cohesive group, rather
> that they will always separate into several competing factions.  Or at
> the very least groups will splinter off the main group and form their
> own group.

Not necessarily "competing", except in a very general sense.  Is
Australian English in competition with Canadian English?

> However in the opensource world I expect splinters to happen frequently,
> simply because there is little to no organizational control.  Even
> Python hasn't been immune to this phenomenon with both Jython and
> Stackless emerging.

As well as PyPy and (more esoterically) Vyper.

Excepting the last, all have had the goal of supporting the C Python
standard library where reasonably possible.  When not possible
(as the case with Jython and various C extensions), then supporting
the native Java libraries.

> "bristly" ;)

Ohh!  Good word!  I had forgotten about it.

                    Andrew
                    dalke at dalkescientific.com