How Does Python Stack Up to Language X?

Finally, to place it in the context of what you may already know, people sometimes compare Python to languages such as Perl, Tcl, and Java. We talked about performance earlier, so here we’ll focus on functionality. While other languages are also useful tools to know and use, many people find that Python:

 

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  • Is more powerful than Tcl. Python’s support for “programming in the large” makes it applicable to the development of larger systems.
  • Has a cleaner syntax and simpler design than Perl, which makes it more readable and maintainable and helps reduce program bugs.
  • Is simpler and easier to use than Java. Python is a scripting language, but Java inherits much of the complexity and syntax of systems languages such as C++.
  • Is simpler and easier to use than C++, but it doesn’t often compete with C++; as a scripting language, Python typically serves different roles.
  • Is both more powerful and more cross-platform than Visual Basic. Its open source nature also means it is not controlled by a single company.
  • Is more readable and general-purpose than PHP. Python is sometimes used to construct websites, but it’s also widely used in nearly every other computer domain, from robotics to movie animation.
  • Is more mature and has a more readable syntax than Ruby. Unlike Ruby and Java, OOP is an option in Python—Python does not impose OOP on users or projects to which it may not apply.
  • Has the dynamic flavor of languages like SmallTalk and Lisp, but also has a simple, traditional syntax accessible to developers as well as end users of customizable systems.

Especially for programs that do more than scan text files, and that might have to be read in the future by others (or by you!), many people find that Python fits the bill better than any other scripting or programming language available today. Furthermore, unless your application requires peak performance, Python is often a viable alternative to systems development languages such as C, C++, and Java: Python code will be much less difficult to write, debug, and maintain.

Of course, your author has been a card-carrying Python evangelist since 1992, so take these comments as you may. They do, however, reflect the common experience of many developers who have taken time to explore what Python has to offer.