Greetings, I have a rough classification of languages into 2 classes: Zen languages and tool languages. A tool language is a language that is, well, a *tool* for programming a computer. C is the prototypical tool language. Most languages in the Algol family are tool languages. Visual Basic and Java are also tool languages. On the other hand, a Zen language is a language which is purported to transform your way of thinking about programming. Lisp, Scheme, Forth, Smalltalk and (maybe) C++ are Zen languages. Disciples acknowledge that it is difficult to pick up these languages but claim that, if you persevere, you sooner or later reach a state of computational satori in which it all makes sense. Interestingly enough, these languages often have books which approach scriptural status e.g. SICP for Scheme.
So (assuming my classification makes sense) which is Python? The emphasis on simplicity and the beginner-friendly nature of it seems to put it in the tool category. On the other hand, the emphasis on the ONE TRUE WAY to accomplish most tasks and the tendency for participants in this newsgroup to criticize one another's code as being "unpythonic" seems to move it towards the Zen category. Of course, even tool languages have their idioms which the novice needs to pick up, so maybe this isn't decisive, but I detect an element of zeal in this newsgroup that I don't detect in (say) Excel VBA programming newsgroups. No value judgement is intended by my classification. There is no denying that Zen languages are often very powerful tools (for those who have reached satori) and that there is a Zen to really mastering, say, C. Personally, I have never been able to master any Zen language but can pick up tool languages fairly quickly, so I prefer tool languages. This is probably because I am not a programmer (I'm a mathematician who likes to program as a hobby and for numerical simulations) and so don't have the time to invest in picking up a Zen language. Hard-core hackers might presumably lean towards the Zen languages. Just curious -John Coleman -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
