merits of Lisp vs Python

[Chris Mellon]

On 3/8/07, Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 06:13:15 GMT, John Nagle <nagle at animats.com>
> declaimed the following in comp.lang.python:
>
> >
> >     When starting out with this project, I'd made the assumption that
> > Python was a stable, working, well-supported technology, like Perl
> > hosting.  It isn't.
> >
>         It is interesting how your text seems to blame "Python" (the
> language) when comparing not to "Perl" (the language) but to a service
> field of "Perl hosting".
>
>         At the least, be fair and use the phrase "Python hosting" in any
> place you'd have used "Perl hosting"...
>
>
> (I note in passing you did have a comment about Python, the language,
> being good... but anyone reading quickly would tend to interpret, say
> the part quoted above, as "Python is unstable, doesn't work, and
> unsupported" -- none of which, in my experience, is true... Low-cost web
> hosting with Python is a different kettle of fish [chowder, probably
> <G>])
>

Mr. Nagle has a history of phrasing his personal problems as if they
were vast, sweeping, general issues affecting the entire industry. The
original post, and several followups, referred to *real* hosting
provides, with the emphasis, and in the context of "industrial
strength". Any *real* hosting provider is going to support whatever
language and environment I tell them to, because I'm going to pay them
a lot of money for excellent support and if they give me any trouble I
will go with someone who provides what I want.


What was *meant* was low priced, zero maintenance, reasonably reliable
consumer level hosting. Thats a totally different market, it's not
"industrial strength", and it doesn't merit the emphasis on *real*
provider. And it is true that in that realm Python is not well
represented.