I just saw that Python is "the programming language of the year".
I study Java (for 2 weeks now) at my school and I think its good enough.
What makes python so good and popular?? Can it do all the thinks Java and C++ can??

java and python are worlds apart and really for different things. Java is a programming language running a JIT compiler within it's own virtual machine, whilst python is a scripting language. Different languages suit different applications, it's not like there is one day going to be a vote for the "best" language to use and everyone uses it.

I don't want to sound stupid(but probably will), what does it mean "a scripting language"??

Well TBH, the differences can get a bit vague the way many scripting languages get used for outright app development, but a basic difference is discussed here http://www-xray.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jss/l...t/programming/

So much of it comes down to style and user preference. Java takes a lot of setting up for a simple hello world, whilst python can do it in a single line. So languages like python, perl and ruby are often nice and simple to prototype tools, especially those interacting with other programs / processes. There has been much more of a buzz around ruby / rails recently than python though...

generally speaking, a scripted language gets compiled to pseudo-code which is measurably slower than machine code (as generated by compiling C code). Scripting languages relatively high-level and usually best fited for administrative tasks because they can be written quickly and can be easy to read.

I guess in a more hacker friendly environment, scripting languages are much more approachable and easier to modify and mess about with. Simpler to install for testing and the likes. Change a line, run it. Add a function, run it. much quicker than having to compile code all the time.

yea! scripting languages are much more approachable... but just a little clarification... compilation still happens, it's just obfuscated from the user's point of view.

of course. There was a serious thread on here the other day, asking why linux isn't completely ported to perl or ruby...

Now I'm asking. Why is Linux not ported to Python?

I really do not understand hype around Python.

To me, after Perl, it's a language with missing features and a slowly catching up one - I see only recent Python version implement new language features which have been present in Perl for more than 10 years.

For example, here is an article on anonymous functions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_function - just compare Perl and Python implementations.

For me Python looks like a language for those who failed to grasp the power and extent of, say, Perl.

please not again. Hype or no hype, one must really use and understand in depth the usage of these languages and really decide for oneself why its like that. Do not start to compare when one have insufficient knowledge of one or the other.

Is the article in Wiki (link in post above) wrong ?

Is this wrong:

http://scipy.org/BaseArray :

?

I mean, Perl has multidimensional arrays for ages (for more than 10 years), as well as "C" does.

Enlighten us, please.

As I have written many times, I used to work with a really nice guy who tried to convert my to Python in year 2000. There was really no incentive - Python offered me less than Perl at the time.

Maybe I'll start a separate thread on data export/import - from what I read/see around Python is behind Perl also in this area.

the only relevant answer to this. Learn about Python for 2 weeks, and judge for yourself. For references to Java vs Python, google is your friend.

One thing that bothers me about python is the move to 3.0, which is NOT backwards compatible. That really made me think twice before recommending python to anyone. It's true that it's a good language to learn programming with, and I think it's a very readable language much like ruby, it's almost as if you can speak it like a natural language. But, other than that, not too much benefit over Perl.

P.S. Java sucks !

they have reasons for this move. If you find in the internet, there are many discussions on this. What i see is, Python 2.x is still pretty much relevant in the long term. Most of the real world problems can be solved without using Python 3. If an environment doesn't yet have Python 3 and is considering using it and if one doesn't foresee using it to run older Python code, then one might go for it. Otherwise, sticking with Python 2.x is still alright.