On Dec 11, 2:17 pm, Bill Atkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > "Paddy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > >> > Python has to rely more on using the right algorithm... > > >> This sound familiar: "Macros are dangerous!" > > Yes. I changed my opinion on advocating Python having macros in one > > of our long threads on the subject. Maintainance counts.Yes, it does, but > > that should take you to exactly the opposite > conclusion. I won't duplicate the arguments against macros made elsewhere in the thread. > > >> "Compilers make you lazy." > > This is new to me. In fact, for the compiled languages available to me. > > Using them *first* would be the difficult choice.These are not real > > sentences, but if you're saying that compiled > languages make programming more difficult, then you're simply using > the wrong compiled languages. Lisp is a dynamic language that also > supports compilation to native code. Lisp was not a compiled language available to me, and even after my use of Cadence Skill, I would not consider Lisp for writing an extension unless Lisp had a library close to what I wanted, and there was a good way to link Python to the compiled Lisp code. > > > Unlike Lisp, Python does not have a ubiquitous compiler. It is > > therefore > > made to interface nicely with compiled languages. Other compiledWhat on > > earth does this mean? You're saying that because Python > doesn't have a compiler, it can interface more easily to compiled > languages? That's nonsense. No. I am saying that *because* it does not have a compiler, it has been *made to* integrate nicely with compiled languages; and further, I am saying that because some compiled language package maintainers see the advantages of using dynamic languages, they support Python integration.
> > Further, most Lisp implementations support an interface to C that > doesn't require you to write and compile C code in order to use C > extensions in Lisp. Can Python do the same more "nicely" than Lisp? Python does the same. It might well be nicer but I do not know how Lisp does this. http://docs.python.org/dev/lib/module-ctypes.html http://www.boost.org/libs/python/doc/ http://www.python.org/pypi/pyobjc/1.3.5 (The last is used within Apple for some aspects of development). The above list is not exhaustive > > > language users see the need for dynamic interpreted languages like > > Python and maintain links Python such as the Boost Python C++ > > wrapper. IronPython for .NET, Jython for Java. > > Lisp is its own interpreter and compiler, which should be a great > > advantage, but only if you don't make the mistake of ignoring the > > wealth of code out there that is written in other languages. > Um. Yep. - Paddy. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list