Are the critiques in "All the things I hate about Python" valid?

[Chris Angelico]

On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 6:39 AM, Geldenhuys, J, Prof <geld at sun.ac.za>
<geld at sun.ac.za> wrote:
> I think your case illustrates the Python/Mathematica issue well:  you found a job for which Mathematica was not the perfect tool and you used Python.  At the end of the day, both M & P have their place.  For example, we probably won't use either to teach Introduction Computer Science soon, because they both lack features that we expect our students to be familiar with at the end of their first year.
>

Out of curiosity, what features does Python lack in that area? (I
don't know anything about Mathematica, and it's only tangentially
on-topic at best.) For an intro to comp sci, I would generally expect
to start with a high level language such as Python, or JavaScript
(because of its ubiquity, primarily due to web browser usage), or Ruby
(particularly if you're Japanese). You don't learn about how to manage
memory (because it's done for you), but on the other hand, you don't
learn about how to manage memory (because hey, it's all done for
you!). You don't learn how to wade through a crash dump (because you
have exceptions and tracebacks), you don't learn how to compile for
different platforms, you don't learn all sorts of other things that
aren't necessary for someone's first year in comp sci. So I'm
interested to what such high level languages lack, from the POV of a
first year of comp sci.

ChrisA