Trying to choose between python and java

[Steve Holden]

sjdevnull at yahoo.com wrote:
> Cameron Laird wrote:
>> In article <mailman.7685.1179212841.32031.python-list at python.org>,
>> Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu> wrote:
>>> "Anthony Irwin" <nospam at noemailhere.nowhere> wrote in message
>>> news:f2bghg$4q0$1 at news-01.bur.connect.com.au...
>> 			.
>> 			.
>> 			.
>>> | #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?
>>>
>>> Most versions of Python are still available.  You are free to use and
>>> distribute your copies indefinitely.  Several older versions are still in
>>> use.
>>>
>>> Recent releases have added features but removed very little except bugs.
>>> Unfortunately, bug removal sometimes breaks code.  And feature additions
>>> occasionally introduce bugs or otherwise break code, but that is why there
>>> are alpha, beta, and candidate releases before a final release.
>>>
>>> Python3 will remove many things at once.  A conversion tool is being
>>> written.  And there is no expectation that production code should be
>>> immediately converted, if ever.
>> 			.
>> 			.
>> 			.
>> I'll answer even more aggressively:  Python's record of
>> backward compatibility is *better* than Java's.
> 
> Although I objected earlier to the statement that Python has never had
> a release breaking backward compatibility, I agree 100% with this--the
> times that Python has broken backward compatibility have been preceded
> by several releases of deprecation warnings.  Java on several
> occasions has simply broken working code in a new release with no
> warning.  I wouldn't be shocked if Python has done the same, but I've
> never run into it in my code.
> 
Ask the Twisted guys - they mentioned when 2.5 was released that several 
of their unit tests broke.

Just the same, I do think Python's compatibility record is good.

regards
  Steve
-- 
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