How big can a Python program be?

[Tim Jarman]

On 18 Aug 2004, at 15:19, vronskij at post.sk wrote:
>
> No way. This was just another question. One  programmer told me that
> he
> can roughly handle max 10 000 lines  in C language. I was curious
> about Python. I always hear that Python can be used on larger projects
> than e.j. PERL because it is Object Oriented and cleanly designed.
> What is a larger project? Mumbers revail more.

Of course 10,000 lines of Python will usually encompass much more 
functionality than 10,000 lines of C, because Python is a higher-level 
language, so you need to be careful you're comparing like with like. I 
have never tried to write 10,000 lines of Perl, and would never do so 
unless (a) I was being paid an obscenely large amount of money for it 
and (b) I had a cast-iron guarantee that I would never have to look at 
it ever again.

But a simple line-count is less revealing than actual project scope 
IMHO. What does this 10,000-line C program actually do? How much effort 
would it be to do that in Python? In a lot of cases, the answer will be 
that it is much less effort in Python, and fringe benefits of that are 
likely to include shorter and more legible code than you had in C. You 
might be able to do it in APL in far fewer lines, but as to effort and 
legibility... YMMV!

Tim J