Why would I learn Python over other languages?

[phil hunt]

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 06:10:32 GMT, Anthony Roberts <acrobert-at-ucalgary-dot-ca at ucalgary.ca> wrote:
>I was ready to write a long response, but then I realized that all you 
>probably need to know is speed. As in, how fast can I learn this?
>
>Java will take you months to get good, years if you don't know any other 
>languages yet. It will take books, large time investments, lots of 
>busywork as you get comfortable with stuff, and lots of false starts as 
>you discover new parts of the API. You can be good at Python in weeks.
>
>The Java API dwarfs anything else I know. There are literally thousands 
>of classes. I know the API well enough to make experienced programmers 
>go "Woah! I never knew Java could do that!" and I still sometimes find 
>it easier to write my own stuff than go looking for it in the docs. It's 
>intimidating to newcomers, and it should be. It's pretty clean, but it's 
>vast beyond any one person's ability to grasp.
>
>Python can do everything Java can do, but you can eyeball the whole 
>module list every time you're trying to figure something out.

I find that Python's library does as much as Java's but with less 
classes. python's libraryu focusses on gettinbg the job done, 
whereas I find java's library to be pedantic and irritating.


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