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diff --git a/Misc/BLURB.LUTZ b/Misc/BLURB.LUTZ deleted file mode 100644 index e508207..0000000 --- a/Misc/BLURB.LUTZ +++ /dev/null @@ -1,122 +0,0 @@ -Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl,comp.lang.tcl -From: lutz@xvt.com (Mark Lutz) -Subject: Python (was Re: Has anyone done a tk addition to perl?) -Organization: XVT Software Inc. -Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1993 17:10:37 GMT -X-Disclaimer: The views expressed in this message are those of an - individual at XVT Software Inc., and do not necessarily - reflect those of the company. - - -I've gotten a number of requests for information about Python, -since my post here earlier this week. Since this appears to be -of general interest, and since there's no python news group yet, -I'm posting a description here. I'm not the best authority on -the language, but here's my take on it. - -[TCL/Perl zealots: this is informational only; I'm not trying to -'convert' anybody, and don't have time for a language war :-) -There is a paper comparing TCL/Perl/Python/Emacs-Lisp, which is -referenced in the comp.lang.misc faq, I beleive.] - - -What is Python?... - -Python is a relatively new very-high-level language developed -in Amsterdam. Python is a simple, procedural language, with -features taken from ABC, Icon, Modula-3, and C/C++. - -It's central goal is to provide the best of both worlds: -the dynamic nature of scripting languages like Perl/TCL/REXX, -but also support for general programming found in the more -traditional languages like Icon, C, Modula,... - -As such, it can function as a scripting/extension language, -as a rapid prototyping language, and as a serious software -development language. Python is suitable for fast development -of large programs, but also does well at throw-away shell coding. - -Python resembles other scripting languages a number of ways: - - dynamic, interpretive, interactive nature - - no explicit compile or link steps needed - - no type declarations (it's dynamically typed) - - high-level operators ('in', concatenation, etc) - - automatic memory allocation/deallocation (no 'pointers') - - high level objects: lists, tuples, strings, associative arrays - - programs can construct and execute program code using strings - - very fast edit/compile/run cycle; no static linking - - well-defined interface to and from C functions and data - - well-defined ways to add C modules to the system and language - -Python's features that make it useful for serious programming: - - it's object-oriented; it has a simplified subset of - C++'s 'class' facility, made more useful by python's - dynamic typing; the language is object-oriented from - the ground up (rather than being an add-on, as in C++) - - - it supports modules (imported packages, as in Modula-3); - modules replace C's 'include' files and linking, and allow - for multiple-module systems, code sharing, etc.; - - - it has a good exception handling system (a 'try' statement, - and a 'raise' statement, with user-defined exceptions); - - - it's orthogonal; everything is a first-class object in the - language (functions, modules, classes, class instance methods...) - and can be assigned/passed and used generically; - - - it's fairly run-time secure; it does many run-time checks - like index-out-of-bounds, etc., that C usually doesn't; - - - it has general data structuring support; Python lists are - heterogeneous, variable length, nestable, support slicing, - concatenation, etc., and come into existance and are reclaimed - automatically; strings and dictionaries are similarly general; - - - it's got a symbolic debugger and profiler (written in python, - of course..), and an interactive command-line interface; - as in Lisp, you can enter code and test functions in isolation, - from the interactive command line (even linked C functions); - - - it has a large library of built-in modules; it has support - for sockets, regular expressions, posix bindings, etc. - - - it supports dynamic loading of C modules on many platforms; - - - it has a _readable_ syntax; python code looks like normal - programming languages; tcl and perl can be very unreadable - (IMHO; what was that joke about Perl looking the same after - rot13..); python's syntax is simple, and statement based; - - -Of course, Python isn't perfect, but it's a good compromise betweem -scripting languages and traditional ones, and so is widely applicable. -'Perfect' languages aren't always useful for real-world tasks (Prolog, -for example), and languages at either extreme are not useful in the other -domain (C is poor for shell coding and prototyping, and awk is useless -for large systems design; Python does both well). - -For example, I've used Python successfully for a 4K line expert system -shell project; it would have been at least twice as large in C, and would -have been very difficult in TCL or Perl. - -Python uses an indentation-based syntax which may seem unusual at first -to C coders, but after using it I have found it to be _very_ handy, since -there's less to type. [I now forget to type '}' in my C code, and am -busy calculating how much time I wasted typing all those '}', 'END', etc., -just to pander to 'brain-dead' C/Pascal compilers :-)]. - -Python's currently at release 0.9.9. It seems suprisingly stable. -The first 'official' 1.0 release is due out by the end of this year. -Python runs on most popular machines/systems (mac, dos, unix, etc.) -It's public domain and distributable, and can be had via ftp. The -distribution includes examples, tutorials, and documentation. The -latest ftp address I have (I got it on a cd-rom): - pub/python/* at ftp.cwi.nl - pub/? at wuarchive.wustl.edu (in america) - -There's a python mailing list maintained by the language's creator. -Mail 'python-list-request@cwi.nl' to get on it. - -Mark Lutz -lutz@xvt.com |