New blurb, derived from my Handbook of Object Technology abstract.

1 files changed, 27 insertions, 43 deletions

diff --git a/Misc/BLURB b/Misc/BLURB
index 53cf55b..ff9075b 100644
--- a/Misc/BLURB
+++ b/Misc/BLURB
@@ -1,45 +1,29 @@
-What is Python?
----------------
+What is Python?  Executive Summary
+----------------------------------
 
-Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming
-language.  It incorporates modules, exceptions, dynamic typing, very
-high level dynamic data types, and classes.  Python combines
-remarkable power with very clear syntax.  It has interfaces to many
-system calls and libraries, as well as to various window systems, and
-is extensible in C or C++.  It is also usable as an extension language
-for applications that need a programmable interface.  Finally, Python
-is portable: it runs on many brands of UNIX, on the Mac, and on
-MS-DOS.
+Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming
+language with dynamic semantics.  Its high-level built in data
+structures, combined with dynamic typing and dynamic binding, make it
+very attractive for Rapid Application Development, as well as for use
+as a scripting or glue language to connect existing components
+together.  Python's simple, easy to learn syntax emphasizes
+readability and therefore reduces the cost of program maintenance.
+Python supports modules and packages, which encourages program
+modularity and code reuse.  The Python interpreter and the extensive
+standard library are available in source or binary form without charge
+for all major platforms, and can be freely distributed.
 
-As a short example of what Python looks like, here's a script to
-print prime numbers (not blazingly fast, but readable!).  When this
-file is made executable, it is callable directly from the UNIX shell
-(if your system supports #! in scripts and the python interpreter is
-installed at the indicated place).
-
-#!/usr/local/bin/python
-
-# Print prime numbers in a given range
-
-def main():
-	import sys
-	min, max = 2, 0x7fffffff
-	if sys.argv[1:]:
-		min = int(eval(sys.argv[1]))
-		if sys.argv[2:]:
-			max = int(eval(sys.argv[2]))
-	primes(min, max)
-
-def primes(min, max):
-	if 2 >= min: print 2
-	primes = [2]
-	i = 3
-	while i <= max:
-		for p in primes:
-			if i%p == 0 or p*p > i: break
-		if i%p <> 0:
-			primes.append(i)
-			if i >= min: print i
-		i = i+2
-
-main()
+Often, programmers fall in love with Python because of the increased
+productivity it provides.  Since there is no compilation step, the
+edit-test-debug cycle is incredibly fast. Debugging Python programs is
+easy: a bug or bad input will never cause a segmentation
+fault. Instead, when the interpreter discovers an error, it raises an
+exception.  When the program doesn't catch the exception, the
+interpreter prints a stack trace. A source level debugger allows
+inspection of local and global variables, evaluation of arbitrary
+expressions, setting breakpoints, stepping through the code a line at
+a time, and so on. The debugger is written in Python itself,
+testifying to Python's introspective power. On the other hand, often
+the quickest way to debug a program is to add a few print statements
+to the source: the fast edit-test-debug cycle makes this simple
+approach very effective.