merits of Lisp vs Python

[Jon Harrop]

Mark Tarver wrote:
> How do you compare Python to Lisp?  What specific advantages do you
> think that one has over the other?
> 
> Note I'm not a Python person and I have no axes to grind here.  This is
> just a question for my general education.

>From my point of view as neither a Lisp nor Python user:

Lisp has some interesting features that separate it from many other
programming languages. In contrast, there is nothing interesting about the
Python language, AFAIK.

Lisp is fairly elegant in the way that it facilitates different programming
paradigms. Python is inelegant.

Lisp is likely to be faster.

Lisp is more mature but Python is (currently) more popular.

I think that people who know more languages and more about programming will
be much more inclined to use Lisp than Python. Look at the contents of the
newsgroups for example, c.l.l has a thread on memoization whereas c.l.p has
a thread about wrestling oiled pigs.

-- 
Dr Jon D Harrop, Flying Frog Consultancy
Objective CAML for Scientists
http://www.ffconsultancy.com/products/ocaml_for_scientists/index.html?usenet