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Groups > comp.lang.python > #83878 > unrolled thread

How to "wow" someone new to Python

Started byChris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
First post2015-01-17 02:03 +1100
Last post2015-01-23 00:09 +0000
Articles 3 on this page of 23 — 14 participants

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  How to "wow" someone new to Python Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-01-17 02:03 +1100
    Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-01-16 17:20 +0200
    Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-01-16 09:16 -0800
    Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2015-01-19 16:19 +1000
    Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python wxjmfauth@gmail.com - 2015-01-21 07:15 -0800
    Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2015-01-21 19:59 +0200
      Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Irmen de Jong <irmen.NOSPAM@xs4all.nl> - 2015-01-21 19:20 +0100
        Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-01-22 06:06 +1100
          Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python André Roberge <andre.roberge@gmail.com> - 2015-01-21 11:20 -0800
          Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Irmen de Jong <irmen.NOSPAM@xs4all.nl> - 2015-01-22 00:46 +0100
        Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Matthew Ruffalo <mmr15@case.edu> - 2015-01-21 16:20 -0500
        Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-01-22 08:26 +1100
          Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Alan Bawden <alan@scooby-doo.csail.mit.edu> - 2015-01-21 16:44 -0500
            Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Alan Bawden <alan@scooby-doo.csail.mit.edu> - 2015-01-21 16:52 -0500
              Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2015-01-21 14:35 -0800
              Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-01-22 15:51 +1100
            Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmail.com> - 2015-01-21 23:13 +0100
        Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Matthew Ruffalo <mmr15@case.edu> - 2015-01-21 16:46 -0500
        Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-01-22 09:22 +1100
    Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python André Roberge <andre.roberge@gmail.com> - 2015-01-21 10:34 -0800
    Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmail.com> - 2015-01-21 19:05 +0000
      Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-01-22 15:39 +1100
        Re: How to "wow" someone new to Python Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2015-01-23 00:09 +0000

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#84137

FromMario Figueiredo <marfig@gmail.com>
Date2015-01-21 19:05 +0000
Message-ID<bcb2d68705da8d203ccb1e735be@nntp.aioe.org>
In reply to#83878
 Chris,

> Scenario: You're introducing someone to Python for the first time.
> S/he may have some previous programming experience, or may be new to
> the whole idea of giving a computer instructions. You have a couple of
> minutes to show off how awesome Python is. What do you do?

Some ideas where given by others already. I especially liked the variable 
swap one liner by Emile van Sebille. That's a little simple gem that will 
impress any seasoned developer of other programming languages.

But speaking about impressing more experient programmers, I personally don't 
think Python has a wow factor in any of its features and syntax. At least 
in the way I understand the word "wow". Python shares its own brand of idiosyncracies 
with any other programming languages. Little gotchas and caveats that have 
you scratch your head and sometimes annoy you slightly. Python is it too 
cropped here and there with things worth criticizing.

Meanwhile some of its interesting language features, like Comprehensions 
and Generators, aren't really that impressive to a seasoned developer of 
functional programming languages or programming languages like C# with its 
highly powerful and expressive LINQ.

This means that, alone, Python won't really standout. But this is ok. No 
language does it on the merits of its syntax or feature set.

What does make Python standout in my opinion -- what gave me the wow -- is 
its interoperability. Here we have a general purpose scripting language with 
more hooks to other systems that any other programming language in existence. 
With just Python, I can build a modern GUI interface on any of the most popular 
operating systems, use it on PostgreSQL to build stored procedures and move 
most of my business rules to the database server and attach dynamic behavior 
to a system developed in some other programming language.

----
I apologize if my post was to long, but I lacked the time to make it shorter.

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#84183

FromSteven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info>
Date2015-01-22 15:39 +1100
Message-ID<54c07eed$0$13012$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com>
In reply to#84137
Mario Figueiredo wrote:

> But speaking about impressing more experient programmers, I personally
> don't think Python has a wow factor in any of its features and syntax. At
> least in the way I understand the word "wow".

Quote:

    I've seen Python criticized as "ugly" precisely because it doesn't 
    have a trick-based view of the world. In many ways, it's a dull
    language, borrowing solid old concepts from many other languages &
    styles: boring syntax, unsurprising semantics, few automatic 
    coercions, etc etc. But that's one of the things I like about it.
    - Tim Peters




-- 
Steve

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#84290

FromGrant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid>
Date2015-01-23 00:09 +0000
Message-ID<m9s3g6$7jv$1@reader1.panix.com>
In reply to#84183
On 2015-01-22, Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> wrote:
> Mario Figueiredo wrote:
>
>> But speaking about impressing more experient programmers, I personally
>> don't think Python has a wow factor in any of its features and syntax. At
>> least in the way I understand the word "wow".
>
> Quote:
>
>     I've seen Python criticized as "ugly" precisely because it doesn't 
>     have a trick-based view of the world. In many ways, it's a dull
>     language, borrowing solid old concepts from many other languages &
>     styles: boring syntax, unsurprising semantics, few automatic 
>     coercions, etc etc. But that's one of the things I like about it.
>     - Tim Peters

Well, you know the ancient Chinese programmer's curse:

  "May you program in an interesting language".

-- 
Grant Edwards               grant.b.edwards        Yow! Pardon me, but do you
                                  at               know what it means to be
                              gmail.com            TRULY ONE with your BOOTH!

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