Comments on: The Key Thing In Python’s Favour http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/ A man needs a little madness, or else he never dares cut the rope and be free. -Nikos Kazantzakis Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:28:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Sam http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/#comment-39057 Sam Thu, 06 Sep 2007 16:09:49 +0000 http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/#comment-39057 Reading code is about understanding intent, and good comments and a thought out system design in general are much more important towards that end. A consistent indentation structure is nice, but how much does it REALLY give you? Reading code is about understanding intent, and good comments and a thought out system design in general are much more important towards that end. A consistent indentation structure is nice, but how much does it REALLY give you?

]]> By: Andrew J. Montalenti http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/#comment-39053 Andrew J. Montalenti Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:53:52 +0000 http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/#comment-39053 Culture matters more to a language than most people think. It's true that one can make Perl code readable, but most Perl code I see isn't. Why? Because culturally, Perl hackers love to take advantage of implicit variables, of clever one-liners, etc. A Python program's readability is supported by language design choices, idiom, and culture. A Perl program's readability is only _in spite of_ these things. That's the difference. (That said, I love using Perl for certain tasks!) Culture matters more to a language than most people think. It’s true that one can make Perl code readable, but most Perl code I see isn’t. Why? Because culturally, Perl hackers love to take advantage of implicit variables, of clever one-liners, etc.

A Python program’s readability is supported by language design choices, idiom, and culture. A Perl program’s readability is only _in spite of_ these things. That’s the difference.

(That said, I love using Perl for certain tasks!)

]]> By: Robert http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/#comment-39043 Robert Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:11:21 +0000 http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/#comment-39043 About Perl...the "readability" thing gets a little old. If you can't make your Perl code readable don't blame Perl; blame yourself. You *can* write hard to read Python code. Ruby is not that much better than Perl if you want to throw the "readability" thing out there because the statement from Magnus about Ruby being a good compromise applies directly to Perl as well. The "total flexibility" of Perl is one of its many strengths. About Perl…the “readability” thing gets a little old. If you can’t make your Perl code readable don’t blame Perl; blame yourself. You *can* write hard to read Python code. Ruby is not that much better than Perl if you want to throw the “readability” thing out there because the statement from Magnus about Ruby being a good compromise applies directly to Perl as well. The “total flexibility” of Perl is one of its many strengths.

]]> By: Magnus http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/#comment-39034 Magnus Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:57:04 +0000 http://www.alittlemadness.com/2007/09/05/the-key-thing-in-pythons-favour/#comment-39034 You're right - Python is very readable, nice and clean. But, in my opinion to a point were it gets a little boring - there are often only one way to do things. Perl on the other hand is totally flexible - but also completely unreadable. I think Ruby is a good compromise, it can be used to make clean readable code but there also a greater freedom for 'creative' programming. You’re right - Python is very readable, nice and clean. But, in my opinion to a point were it gets a little boring - there are often only one way to do things. Perl on the other hand is totally flexible - but also completely unreadable. I think Ruby is a good compromise, it can be used to make clean readable code but there also a greater freedom for ‘creative’ programming.

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