Python vs. Io

[Josiah Carlson]

> IMHO, this makes more sense than iterating over a list created just
> for a specific loop. On my computer, Io's loops are faster than
> Python's (probably because they are lazy).

Haven't you heard of xrange?  It's like range, only without the list 
instantiation (and a few other things).


> But the community will grow larger in time. The Io community is bigger
> than the Python community two years after Python was released
> (although that's probably because it wasn't publicly released for two
> years).

I would also be willing to bet that is due to the ease of distribution 
that the modern internet allows, coupled with the current geek-chic of 
learning new-better-than-ever languages.  Heck, brainfuck probably has 
more users than Python did 2 years after its introduction, but that 
doesn't mean that you will be able to write programs that are better, 
more efficient, easier to update, easier to debug, etc., with BF than 
with some other newer language.


> Also, Python has statements (as opposed to just expressions) even for
> the simplest things like writing things to the command line. In Io,
> flow control is in functions, which can be overwritten if you want to
> change them. The Python philosophy is that if you allow this and other
> flexible things to happen, you will have inconsistent code. If someone
> asks on the Tutor mailing list how to change that, everybody responds
> "Why would you want to do that?". While that's a valid viewpoint, it's
> not the most flexible.

Perhaps it isn't more flexible.  On the other hand, it does allow anyone 
to read your code and know that there isn't any magical syntax that is 
usable on one Python x.y installation, that isn't on another.

  - Josiah