Path: csiph.com!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder3.hal-mli.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder1.hal-mli.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed1.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.020 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.96; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:Python': 0.06; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'subject:language': 0.09; 'mostly': 0.14; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'subject: \n ': 0.16; 'subject:programming': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'acquired': 0.19; 'written': 0.21; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'subject:/': 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; 'chris': 0.29; 'am,': 0.29; 'andrew': 0.30; 'dec': 0.30; 'code': 0.31; "d'aprano": 0.31; 'steven': 0.31; 'critical': 0.32; 'languages': 0.32; 'another': 0.32; 'fri,': 0.33; 'something': 0.35; 'good.': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; "didn't": 0.36; 'charset:us-ascii': 0.36; 'to:addr :python-list': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'how': 0.40; 'skip:n 10': 0.64; 'believe': 0.68; '20,': 0.68; 'answer.': 0.68; 'fact,': 0.69; 'darn': 0.84; 'viable': 0.84; '2013': 0.98 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Neil Cerutti Subject: Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2013 18:40:52 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Norwich University References: <20131212213602.806ef8fd2626ca6f34bc83d6@gmx.net> <20131216213225.2006b30246e3a08ee241a191@gmx.net> <20131217165144.39bf9ba1cd4e4f27a96893ca@gmx.net> <52b0fb4f$0$29973$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <52b15a69$0$29973$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <52b328f7$0$6512$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: jackman.norwich.edu User-Agent: slrn/0.9.9p1/mm/ao (Win32) X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 21 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1387478479 news.xs4all.nl 2939 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:40163 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:62412 On 2013-12-19, Chris Angelico wrote: > On Fri, Dec 20, 2013 at 4:12 AM, Steven D'Aprano > wrote: >> But why is so much non-performance critical code written in C? >> Why so many user-space applications? > > Very good question! I don't have an answer. There are a few > "maybe-answers", but they mostly come down to "programmer > didn't know of a viable alternative". I believe it was Andrew Plotkin (glk, Glulxe, lots of other stuff) who said that writing good C requires something like brain-damage. Once you have acquired the brain-damage, writing C code is no problem; in fact, it feels darn good. And another thing: How many other languages have their very own calling convention? -- Neil Cerutti