John Salerno wrote: > Just one more quick question: I'm basically learning programming for > fun, and I'm concentrating on C# right now. Python seems interesting, > but I was wondering if I should even bother. Would it supplement C# in > any way, or can C# do everything Python can?
Python is an excellent tool in any programmers toolbox. No one language is ideal for every task, but Python very often provides a more rapid solution to your problem than other languages do. Particularly for small problems. It's common to use Python to solve a problem in 3 minutes that would take 10 or 30 minutes to solve in some other way. It's also great for building something in 3 man-months instead of 3 man-years, but you need more time to verify that claim! ;^) If you need a GUI for some simple task, it might often be more convenient to use something like Excel or VB. I haven't used MS's C# environment, so I can't compare with that, but it's often just a bad habit to build captive user interfaces for every task we want to solve. It certainly makes it much more difficult to make modular and reusable software. Most Python programs I write work both as standalone programs and as modules that other programs can use. This versatility basically costs one line of code. If I was a professional C# developer, I'm pretty sure I'd use Python quite a bit. As a professional C++ programmer and database developer, I've used Python to manage tests, find and repair broken data in mission critical production systems, automate database administration tasks such as upgrading multiple databases, extracting, converting and copying data, create database reports, post-process generated source code, analyze large software systems and databases etc etc. Actually, during seven years as an independent consultant, I found good use for Python with every client. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
