Ironpython has been in development from awhile, and now it's in beta version 1.0. Is it good to have Python running on every existing platform out there? Of course it is.
Is it good to have Python running on Java and .NET? Sure, why not? One of the good things about Python is that it runs everywhere, thus making your code more portable and usable. Many people program for a living and often they are forced to work with certain technologies that are beyond their preference. If your company uses Microsoft software, wouldn't you like being able to run Python on it? Personally, I'd like to see Python going everywhere. I want it to be ubiquitous. This way there will be no excusses for rejecting it (by your bos, your company, your colleagues..). Will Microsoft hurt Python? How? If sometime in the future, MS decides to modify the language by creating something different, you'll have the choice to decide whether you like it or not. Nobody will steal Python, it is free and it will always be. What's more, if you decide that you want to use Python on .Net and you don't ike the official Microsoft release, you can fork it (the code is freely available) and you can call it "MyGroovyNewLanguage" if you want. Right now there are other languages based and inspired in Python (Boo for example) that run on .Net and Mono, and they are useful and have an enthusiast comunity behind them. It's good to have many choices and it's good to be free to choose. Although it's also very good to have a main implementation, lead by its creator, who will always take care that there will be a pure and legitimate Python for those who like it just the way it is. Luis -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
