Importance of C# (was Re: IronPython-0.6 is now available!)

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Peter Hansen <peter at engcorp.com> wrote in message news:<aZOdnamc0Pt9k4ncRVn-sg at powergate.ca>...
> <snip>
> Language comparison is a hard thing: what happens when you
> pick a test case that can be handled much more easily in
> one language than in another?  Do you pick a new test case,
> or write inefficient code that no programmer experienced in that
> language would actually write?   I'm not sure of the answer...

Well, for me the most interesting test would be to actually use all
features available in each of the compared languages. So, if the
standard distribution of a given language includes a library to do a
task, use that library. If there is a syntax feature that makes things
easier, use that too. And so on...

I think this is far more useful in real life than just plain
interpreter/compiled code speed comparison.

I do mostly Java, PHP, and SQL for living. My projects often involve
some obscure algorithms. I usually pick Python for prototyping those
algorithms because the builtin collections and other features allow me
to code faster, read more easily, and thus arrive at the right
solution (or discard a wrong one) more quickly. Then I can rewrite
that in the project's language using more primitive ways like I would
otherwise, but I don't have to switch between thinking about algorithm
and implementation details anymore.

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