Re:Norvig's Python programs to practice or demonstrate skills
by flavio81 on Tuesday November 28, 2017 @09:40AM
(#15797618)
I agree for the first part. Common Lisp and Python are my favorite programming languages. I think the second is great for teaching programming and general use (where performance isn't a concern), while Common Lisp, in my view, is a "must-know" for any advanced programmer. Lisp is secret alien technology.
Although to be honest, there's Clojure, which isn't as easy to learn as Python nor as flexible/powerful as CL, but sits in confortable middle ground.
Re:Norvig's Python programs to practice or demonstrate skills
by throwaway7645 on Monday November 27, 2017 @11:44AM
(#15788662)
I think that's an excellent view of the tradeoffs between the two.
Re:Norvig's Python programs to practice or demonstrate skills
by agumonkey on Monday November 27, 2017 @12:35PM
(#15789168)
I'd like to ask him about a more ml-y python. Same syntax, same tinyness, but less mutable OO at its core.
Re:Norvig's Python programs to practice or demonstrate skills
by stormking on Monday November 27, 2017 @03:53PM
(#15791236)
Try http://coconut-lang.org
Not pure, not perfect, but still great!
Re:Norvig's Python programs to practice or demonstrate skills
by Singletoned on Tuesday November 28, 2017 @03:29AM
(#15795387)
It's like someone has looked at Python and thought "Python is too easy to read. Let's add LOTS more syntax to it".
Re:Norvig's Python programs to practice or demonstrate skills
by AlexCoventry on Tuesday November 28, 2017 @01:22AM
(#15794896)
Wow, this plus a persistent data structures library could be almost as much fun as clojure!
I think Lisp still has an edge for larger projects and for applications where the speed of the compiled code is important. But Python has the edge (with a large number of students) when the main goal is communication, not programming per se. In terms of programming-in-the-large, at Google and elsewhere, I think that language choice is not as important as all the other choices: if you have the right overall architecture, the right team of programmers, the right development process that allows for rapid development with continuous improvement, then many languages will work for you; if you don't have those things you're in trouble regardless of your language choice.