What is different with Python ?

[D H]

Andrea Griffini wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 22:23:39 +0200, Bruno Desthuilliers
> <bdesth.quelquechose at free.quelquepart.fr> wrote:
> 
> 
>>Being familiar with 
>>fondamental *programming* concepts like vars, branching, looping and 
>>functions proved to be helpful when learning C, since I only had then to 
>>focus on pointers and memory management.
> 
> 
> If you're a good programmer (no idea, I don't know
> you and you avoided the issue) then I think you
> wasted a lot of energy and neurons learning that way.
> Even high-level scripting languages are quite far
> from a perfect virtualization, and either the code
> you wrote in them was terrible *OR* you were able
> to memorize an impressive quantity of black magic
> details (or you were just incredibly lucky ;-) ).

The best race driver doesn't necessarily know the most about their car's 
engine.  The best baseball pitcher isn't the one who should be teaching 
a class in physics and aerodynamics.  Yes, both can improve their 
abilities by learning about the fundamentals of engines, aerodynamics, 
etc., but they aren't "bad" at what they do if they do not know the 
underlying principles operating.

If you want to understand what engineers like programmers, and 
scientists approach their work, look up the structure-behavior-function 
framework.  Engineers work from function (the effect something has on 
its environment, in this case the desired effect), to structure - how to 
consistently constrain behavior to achieve that desired function. 
Scientists, on the other hand, primarily work from structure and 
behavior to function.  Here is an unknown plant - why does it have this 
particular structure or behavior?  What is its function, or what in its 
environment contributed to its evolution?  See descriptions of SBF by 
Cindy Hmelo and others.