Python is the best and most popular general purpose scripting language; the universal scripting language

[Ron Stephens]

Kirk Job-Sluder <kirk at eyegor.jobsluder.net> wrote in message news:<slrnc7k50v.1jl.kirk at eyegor.jobsluder.net>...> A nice Bourne one-liner that does useful work, but which I really don't
> feel is worth doing in python.  The two hours I spent learning awk has
> paid off whenever I need to pretty-print a character-delimited file.  

Kirk Job-Sluder <kirk at eyegor.jobsluder.net> wrote in message news:<slrnc7k50v.1jl.kirk at eyegor.jobsluder.net>...> A nice Bourne one-liner that does useful work, but which I really don't
> feel is worth doing in python.  The two hours I spent learning awk has
> paid off whenever I need to pretty-print a character-delimited file.  

I agree, shell scripts are great. But my main point is not whether or
not to classify Python as a scripting language, or how to define a
scripting language, nor do I mean the "universal solvent" phrase to
mean Python is the only tool for all (or even most ) jobs.

Rather, I mean that Python is perhaps the best tool for writing actual
code, beyond the simplest shell scripts (although Python can be good
for that too) and short of Windows-only GUI forms-based Microsoft
Office add-ins to Access databases (although Python can be used to do
that too.)

In other words, one of Python's greatest strength's is enabling the
efficient writing of actual code that is easy to read and maintain and
to interface effectively with a very wide range of tools and
environments.

Like it or not, but for the foreseeable future, most people and
organizations that want to create and deploy GUI software exclusively
for Windows desktops and using exclusively Windows applications are
going to use Visual Studio .Net. In the same way, most people who want
to create and deploy truly cross platform GUI software may find Java
to be there main tool.

Sure, Python can be used to write and deploy the same kind of programs
on Windows or across all major platforms. But the real strength of
Python even in these cases in the writing of the actual code; that's
where Python's simplicity, power, ease, readability, maintainability
and efficiency really shines. The creation of the GUI's and the actual
deployment can be down the tools like wxPython, PyGtk, PyQt, and there
associated IDE's and tools, and the deployment can be done with
py2exe, McMillan's installer, etc etc, or, by using the platform
specific tools form Microsoft, Apple, and for the various Unices. But,
it would be hard, I think to argue that the use of Python makes the
creation of GUI's and the actual deployment (cross platform or Windows
only) easier and more efficient than the other (currently more
popular) alternatives to Pythonic tools.

After all, for cross platform deployment, it's hard to beat Java .jar
files; and for creation and deployment of Windows-only GUI frontends,
its hard to beat Visual Studio.

But for the actual writing of the code, that's were it can be argued
that Python brings added programmer productivity, efficiencies and
other advantages.

See my point? Or is it as clear as mud now ;-)))

Ron Stephens
www.awaretek.com/weblog.html