Trying to choose between python and java

[Nick Craig-Wood]

Anthony Irwin <nospam at noemailhere.nowhere> wrote:
>  #4 If I write a program a test it with python-wxgtk2.6 under linux are 
>  the program windows likely to look right under windows and mac?

wx adopts the native look and feel for the platform.  I've used it
under linux and windows where it looks fine!  I've never used it under
mac.

>  #5 someone said that they used to use python but stopped because the 
>  language changed or made stuff depreciated (I can fully remember 
>  which) and old code stopped working. Is code written today likely to 
>  still work in 5+ years or do they depreciate stuff and you have to
>  update?

The language does change gently.  New language features are added.
Backwards compatibility is deemed very important. Read PEP 5
"Guidelines for Language Evolution" for more info.

  http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0005/

Libraries are deprecated but not removed.  Read PEP 4 "Deprecation of
Standard Modules" if you want to know more.

  http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0004/

There is more churn in the libraries which aren't distributed with
python.

There is also the Python 3000 project.  The point of this project is
to remove the deprecated stuff and the accumulated cruft and make
python shiny and new again.  A lot of python programs will run
unmodified under Python 3000 anyway.  However there is a translator to
translate to the new Python 3000 format.  Python 3000 is probably a
year from its first stable release.  I suspect it won't be in wide use
for several years after that.

  http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3000/

Don't be scared of Python 3000 though it is just a gentle revision of
the language, nothing like, lets say, going from perl 5 to perl 6.

>  Also does anyone else have any useful comments about python vs java 
>  without starting a flame war.

You'll be a lot more productive writing python code in my experience
so if development time is important to you, then go with python.

-- 
Nick Craig-Wood <nick at craig-wood.com> -- http://www.craig-wood.com/nick