[Tutor] Is Python the language for me?

[Kent Johnson]

Andy wrote:

> So as you can see I feel that each language has it's own pro's and
> con's and I might end up learning them both eventually.  Do you all
> think Python will work for what I want right now?

You don't say, but it sounds like you are just starting out with 
programming. I strongly second what Luke said - Python is a great 
language to start with, much easier than C++, and if you sometime decide 
to learn C++ it will be much easier when you already know how to program.

>  My biggest concern
> with Python is the upkeep involved in trying to distribute your
> applications.  Do updates to Python usually cause issues?  Why would
> something like Pygame work with Python 2.4 but not 2.5?

Point upgrades such as 2.4 to 2.5 generally keep a high level of 
backward compatibility for Python code, so a Python program that runs 
under 2.4 will most likely run the same under 2.5. However, point 
upgrades do not retain binary compatibility for compiled extensions such 
as pygame; these extensions need to be rebuilt for the new version. On 
Windows most Python programmers are not willing / interested / able to 
compile the extensions themselves, so it is common for binary installers 
to be distributed for Windows versions of extensions. When a new Python 
comes out, these have to be updated. The pace of the updates varies 
widely depending on how active the extension project is and how much the 
developers care about Windows. For some users the availability of a key 
extension is what gates the upgrade.

Kent