On Sat, 25 Feb 2006 06:09:16 -0800, John Coleman wrote: > 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?
Why can't it be both? Why do you think "Zen" and "tool" are two different *kinds* of language, rather than just two extremes of a single continuum? There are two kinds of people: those who divide the world into false dichotomies, and those who don't. *wink* > 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. Regardless of whether Python is a Zen or tool language, or both, or something else, it is incredibly easy to pick up. Just remember, and this goes for *any* new language you are trying to learn, Python is not C/Java/VB/Fortran/Lisp/Ada/whatever language you already know. -- Steven. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
