Python Productivity Gain?

[Paul Prescod]

Matthias wrote:

>...
> 
> A more scientific approach would be: Take a language X, build variants
> X-with-OOP, X-with-static-typing, X-with-funny-syntax and let
> developers use it under controlled settings.  Watch them.  Generate
> bug statistics.  Look for differences.  Try to explain them.  This
> would be hard work, difficult to do and expensive.  But I expect this
> approach would find better [1] languages faster.  The benefits might
> be substantial.

And what would the business model for this endeavor be?

The main business model for language development these days is battling 
for control of developers. Sun tries to woo them to portable code with 
Java and Microsoft tries to pull them back to Windows with C#.

Productivity is just a marketing checkbox for the people writing the 
cheques.

Even people like ESR and RMS use languages as ideological tools: "Open 
Java or Python will stomp you" and "Make Python GPL-compatible or we 
can't recommend it for GNU projects.

  Paul Prescod