Python vs. C#

[Brandon J. Van Every]

I'm done with c.l.p for now, I've moved on to the marketing-python list.
This has been an interesting proving ground, and I've gotten the information
I came for, but productivity demands a move to a different venue.  This post
was CC:'d to me so I want to address one point:

Brian Quinlan wrote:
> Brandon wrote:
>>
>> I agree that people should write tests, but having written many, many
>> of those for my own project, it is equally true that writing test
>> cases slows down development.
>
> I think that depends on how efficient you are at writing tests. Python
> offers a great testing framework to help you.

No, writing tests consumes time.  I measure my productivity in units of 4
hours, i.e. a half day.  My worst bugs last me 2 days.  There is no language
written that will obviate the need to design a valid test case.  Writing
test cases is simply a slow process when you measure functional results over
such small periods of time.  I am 1 guy and don't have the luxury of armies
of coders in an industrial environment to work with.  I'm very efficient,
and I know what fast and slow is.  I do the tests when I know robustness is
going to save engineering time.  I avoid them for their own sake, it is a
waste of time.  Better to simply get working code exercised, and keep it all
down to 1 code path so that everything continues to be exercised.

>> Anything that provides testing "for free" is a boon.
>
> It is not free. You are accepting several limitations (e.g. object
> must conform to a particular interface to be useable, all types must
> be specified) to get a type of checking that is of questionable value.

C++ style compiler checking helps.  I've never met anyone who thinks
otherwise.  Pythonistas just habitually claim it doesn't have merit and
complain about burdens imposed.  To us C++ guys, it is no big deal.  It is,
frankly, the least of our troubles under C++.

-- 
Cheers,                         www.3DProgrammer.com
Brandon Van Every               Seattle, WA

20% of the world is real.
80% is gobbledygook we make up inside our own heads.