Explanation of list reference

[Rustom Mody]

On Monday, February 17, 2014 12:01:18 PM UTC+5:30, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> I take it that you haven't spent much time around beginners? Perhaps you 
> should spend some time on the "tutor" mailing list. If you do, you will 
> see very few abstract or philosophical questions such as whether 
> references are themselves things or what identity means. But you will 
> find plenty of questions about:

> - "Will you do my homework for me?"

Right
And what that 'homework' consists of is determined by the educational
context of the questioner.
'Teacher' is of course a big but hardly exclusive part of that
'Syllabus-setters' (who can be more clueless than teachers) are another
'Other attendant factors' big one being programming language.

Hang out on a Haskell list and you will get questions about
- category theory
- typesystems
- structural induction

and so on and so forth

Does that mean Haskell is better than Python?

That depends on which side of the balance-sheet is plus for you.
For some getting the job done with a minimum of heavy-duty concepts is a plus
For some lots of profound concepts is wonderful

Basic to python philosophy is to get people off to a running start quickly.
If NOT starting until you/your ward have mulled on some profundity is your thing
then python is not for you