Microsoft IronPython?

[Luis M. González]

Ironpython has been in development from awhile, and now it's in beta
version 1.0.
Is it good to have Python running on every existing platform out there?
Of course it is.

Is it good to have Python running on Java and .NET?
Sure, why not? One of the good things about Python is that it runs
everywhere, thus making your code more portable and usable.
Many people program for a living and often they are forced to work with
certain technologies that are beyond their preference.
If your company uses Microsoft software, wouldn't you like being able
to run Python on it?
Personally, I'd like to see Python going everywhere. I want it to be
ubiquitous.
This way there will be no excusses for rejecting it (by your bos, your
company, your colleagues..).

Will Microsoft hurt Python?
How? If sometime in the future, MS decides to modify the language by
creating something different, you'll have the choice to decide whether
you like it or not.
Nobody will steal Python, it is free and it will always be.
What's more, if you decide that you want to use Python on .Net and you
don't ike the official Microsoft release, you can fork it (the code is
freely available) and you can call it "MyGroovyNewLanguage" if you
want.

Right now there are other languages based and inspired in Python (Boo
for example) that run on .Net and Mono, and they are useful and have an
enthusiast comunity behind them. It's good to have many choices and
it's good to be free to choose.
Although it's also very good to have a main implementation, lead by its
creator, who will always take care that there will be a pure and
legitimate Python for those who like it just the way it is.

Luis