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From: | Bill Page |
Subject: | Re: [Axiom-developer] domains with parameters versus Python classes |
Date: | Fri, 30 Mar 2007 13:21:21 -0400 |
User-agent: | Webmail 4.0 |
Quoting Alfredo Portes <address@hidden>:
On 30 Mar 2007 10:49:11 -0500, Gabriel Dos Reis <address@hidden> wrote:| > Anyway, I find the idea of luring Python developers into Axiom by | > showing them how you can write Spad/Aldor programs in Python | > and vice versa very, let say, curious. ... "waste of time" and "doubtful".Funny enough, the python webpage used to have something similar to show the similarities with Lisp :-).
I think it was this article. I believe I have referred to it before on this list. http://norvig.com/python-lisp.html Python for Lisp Programmers by Peter NorvigThis is a brief introduction to Python for Lisp programmers. (Although it wasn't my intent, Python programers have told me this page has helped them learn Lisp.)
Basically, Python can be seen as a dialect of Lisp with "traditional" syntax (what Lisp people call "infix" or "m-lisp" syntax). One message on comp.lang.python said "I never understood why LISP was a good idea until I started playing with python." Python supports all of Lisp's essential features except macros, and you don't miss macros all that much because it does have eval, and operator overloading, and regular expression parsing, so you can create custom languages that way. ------- I think this article has two lessons for us. First: the removal of the link to this article from www.python.org probably reflects the reality that an association with Lisp is no longer of much relevance to Python programmers. I hope for a similar evolution of Axiom. Second: it adds some credibility to the idea that an introduction to SPAD for Python programmers might be beneficial for both Axiom and Python developers. Regards, Bill Page.
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