Steven D'Aprano wrote: > On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 06:09:14 -0500, Dan Sommers wrote: > > >>On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 18:06:10 +1100, >>Steven D'Aprano <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> >>>I don't want to nit-pick all my way through the article, which is very >>>decent and is worth reading, but I will say one more thing: you >>>describe Python as "an expressive, interpreted language" ... >> >>So does <http://www.python.org/doc/Summary.html>. > > > Then it is time it stopped. > > In fairness, from a technical perspective, describing Python as > interpreted is not wrong -- as I've pointed out, machine code is > interpreted too -- but neither does it give the correct impression. > Many people have argued that the terms interpreted and compiled are no > longer meaningful in this day and age. I wouldn't go that far, but given > the negative connotations of "interpreted" I think it is both better and > more accurate to emphasis the fact that Python code is byte-code compiled > and only use the I-word when discussing Python's interactive environment > and eval/exec. If I could think of another word for interpreter, I would > use it even then. > > People who are smart and care about correctness -- the "reality-based > community" -- often don't realise just how many decisions are made on the > basis of unfacts like "everybody knows interpreted languages are slow and > inefficient, that's what my professor told me when I did a semester of C > in 1982, we better stick to Java or .Net". >
Right on. Here's a tongue-in-cheek proposal for the python.org homepage to describe a combination of python, twisted and zope or something similar. It yields a 10 on the buzzword meter, but is unfortunately blatantly stolen: """ Today, more and more developers want to write distributed transactional applications for the enterprise and leverage the speed, security, and reliability of server-side technology. If you are already working in this area, you know that in today's fast-moving and demanding world of e-commerce and information technology, enterprise applications have to be designed, built, and produced for less money, faster, and with fewer resources than ever before. To reduce costs and fast-track enterprise application design and development, the Python Platform Enterprise Edition technology provides a component-based approach to the design, development, assembly, and deployment of enterprise applications. The Python Enterprise platform gives you a multitiered distributed application model, the ability to reuse components, a unified security model, and flexible transaction control. Not only can you deliver innovative customer solutions to market faster than ever, but your platform-independent Python component-based solutions are not tied to the products and APIs of any one vendor. """ -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
