> Another point to consider is the ecosystem of your language. If you > install Python, then you get basic math, I/O, a GUI toolkit, network > libraries, ... In more "traditional" languages like C or Lisp, you get > math and I/O, period. For everything else you need to hunt down a > library. Therefore, solve the task "download the gimp installer from > github via https" requires 2,3 lines in Python and installing a > (possibly complex) library for the same task in Lisp or C. > > Christian
I like this post so much I printed it. It seems you're saying Python has lots of syntax forms or "mini-languages" in it and *that* is a big reason why you can typically find syntax that makes an arbitrary problem more readable in Python. On the other hand, Lisp tries to everything with less syntax forms (paradigms) and hence it is less readable. A Lisp person would probably say that they can create domain specific languages (DSLs) for whatever they wish. However, many people like that Python has so many standardized "DSLs" ready to go for you from the start. I think this is really significant point why more syntax does necessarily mean less readability. I would just add that Clojure finally solved the ecosystem problem with Lisp by giving it access to the Java libraries. cs -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
