On Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:35:40 -0800, oj wrote: > On Dec 12, 4:34 am, "Terry Reedy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> "Ron Provost" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message >> >> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] But here's my problem, >> most of my coworkers, when they see my apps and learn that they are >> written in Python ask questions like, "Why would you write that in a >> scripting language?" Whenever I hear a comment like that I can feel >> myself boiling inside. >> =================== >> >> I don't blame you. Python is an full-fledged algorithm/programming >> language that was designed to *also* be used a scripting language. > > It depends on your definition of scripting language, I guess. > > Python it byte-compiled and run in an interpreter. Much like how Java is > run, only the compilation of python scripts is usually hidden from the > user. > > You could argue that python is no more of a scripting language then > Java.
I have repeatedly argued in the past that we do ourselves a disservice by describing Python as an interpreted language. Python is compiled. It has a compiler. It even has a built-in function "compile". It's just not compiled to *machine code* -- but with even machine code often running on a virtual machine in the CPU(s), the distinction is far less important now than it was when Sun described Java as a compiled language despite the lack of JIT compilers. -- Steven -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list