merits of Lisp vs Python

[Slawomir Nowaczyk]

On Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:38:14 -0800
"josephoswaldgg at hotmail.com" <josephoswald at gmail.com> 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,

How does that differ from "In Python, you use <TAB> 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.

Well, in Python you never need to leave it sloppy.

#> Indentation does not get out of sync with semantics because the
#> editor virtually never misses parentheses that the Lisp compiler
#> sees. 

What makes you think Python indentation ever gets out of sync with
semantics?

#> In Python, you group in your mind, and press indentation keys to make
#> it happen in your editor.

In Lisp, you group in your mind, and press parentheses keys to make it
happen in your editor.

#> The editor cannot help that much, because it cannot read your mind.

The editor cannot help that much, because it cannot read your mind.

-- 
 Best wishes,
   Slawomir Nowaczyk
     ( Slawomir.Nowaczyk at cs.lth.se )

You can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.