Monday, January 23, 2006
I am a Pythonista
On a professional level I was asked what system I would go with if I weren't doing CFMX and Java. And the only solution I would be interested in doing would involve Python. Python on Zope with Plone, or using Twisted and Nevow, or maybe even Turbogears. Heck, if I could I would get Jython into our CFMX and Java environment right now!
Why do I like Python so much?
Well, in a lot of ways I consider Python like ColdFusion on steriods. It has very similiar native types: Python possessing strings, integers, lists and dictionaries are much like ColdFusion's strings, numerics, arrays and structures. Many of the functions for both languages return values (ColdFusion breaks this frequently to my utter annoyance). Both can be used for rapid prototyping or real application development. Both can easily leverage a parent language that has some neat features to toss in (ColdFusion has Java vs CPython and C).
Python tends to look neater thanks to the indentation method of defining blocks, but well-formed ColdFusion is pretty too.
Python is stronger in the realm of OO, but both allow you to go procedural if you want.
But really, the reason why I like Python is that for a ColdFuson code monkey it was very easy to learn. And it shared ColdFusion's elegance and linked me to another world of development. It has opened doors and enlightened me in ways that have made me a better ColdFusion programmer. Python made me to find ways to push ColdFusion in new directions. And it taught me even more how to neaten my code.
Why do I like Python so much?
Well, in a lot of ways I consider Python like ColdFusion on steriods. It has very similiar native types: Python possessing strings, integers, lists and dictionaries are much like ColdFusion's strings, numerics, arrays and structures. Many of the functions for both languages return values (ColdFusion breaks this frequently to my utter annoyance). Both can be used for rapid prototyping or real application development. Both can easily leverage a parent language that has some neat features to toss in (ColdFusion has Java vs CPython and C).
Python tends to look neater thanks to the indentation method of defining blocks, but well-formed ColdFusion is pretty too.
Python is stronger in the realm of OO, but both allow you to go procedural if you want.
But really, the reason why I like Python is that for a ColdFuson code monkey it was very easy to learn. And it shared ColdFusion's elegance and linked me to another world of development. It has opened doors and enlightened me in ways that have made me a better ColdFusion programmer. Python made me to find ways to push ColdFusion in new directions. And it taught me even more how to neaten my code.
# posted by Daniel Greenfeld @ 1:58 PM 
