merits of Lisp vs Python

[josephoswaldgg@hotmail.com]

Bjoern Schliessmann wrote:
> Robert Uhl wrote:
>
> > Because it's the language for which indentation is automatically
> > determinable.  That is, one can copy/paste a chunk of code, hit a
> > key and suddenly everything is nicely indented.
>
> Cool, so in other languages I need to set block marks like () and {}
> and also indent the code for readability, and in Python I indent
> only. From my POV that's less work.

Try reading again. In Lisp, you use () and *your editor* automatically
indents according to the universal standard, or you leave it sloppy
until other folks reading your code convince you to get a proper
programming editor. Indentation does not get out of sync with semantics
because the editor virtually never misses parentheses that the Lisp
compiler sees. Expressions keep the same meaning even if you have to
start breaking them across lines, etc.

In Python, you group in your mind, and press indentation keys to make
it happen in your editor. The editor cannot help that much, because it
cannot read your mind. White space screwups in copy-paste cannot be
fixed by the editor automatically, because it cannot read the original
programmer's mind, and you have to fix it manually, and risk screwing
it up.