Python Newbie

[abhay]

I am confused between learning Python or learning Perl. Please any view,
opinions and suggestions are welcomed.

josh

 

[Gerhard Haering]

I am confused between learning Python or learning Perl. Please any view,
opinions and suggestions are welcomed.

Both can be incredibly useful tools for you, with which you can solve
problems much faster than with the heavyweight languages/environments
that are hyped with the Enterprise(tm) label *cough*

I believe that if Python or Perl is right for you, depends on your way
of thinking. For some people, Perl fits their mind better. But for
those that are not Python is getting them to where they want faster,
and with less headaches ;-)

I'd recommend you first download the Python interpreter, and grab a
tutorial (http://python.org/doc/Intros.html is a good starting point)
and play around with it. You'll see soon enough if you like it.

gl & hf

-- Gerhard

 

[Byron]

Hi Josh,

Welcome to the Python forums!

I have worked with both PERL and Python over the years. I first started
out with PERL and thought it was a wonderful language, but found it to
be difficult to develop within. Here are the reasons why I make the
switch from PERL to Python:

1) Both PERL and Python are powerful languages. However, Python takes a
couple of days to learn, where as it took me several months to learn
PERL. (PERL is not a very user-friendly language and tends to be very
similar to C / C++ in style, which are known for being hard for
beginners to acquire.) However, on the Python side, there are plenty of
FREE documentation (and tutorials) that will teach you Python quickly
and get you up to speed. One of the best free, online tutorials is:
http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/

2) Python code is very easy to read and modify -- PERL is not. Python
code has been considered to be a language at the "speed of thought"
because fairly new programmers can take a piece of code from an advanced
user, understand what it does, and then make changes to it. However,
PERL is very different from this. PERL comes with 101+ ways of
accomplishing a simple task -- thus making program modifications very
difficult to accomplish. Some people have even said that PERL is a
"read-only" language -- due to the fact that people have a hard time
making changes to other people's programs.

3) Python is a FREE, open source programming language that runs on
multiple platforms. For example, you can use Python on a Windows-based
PC, Unix, Linux, Solaris, and even the Macintosh. In other words, when
you write a program in Python, you can easily run it on virtually all
machines out there -- without having to rewrite the code for each
individual machine.

4) Python has a large collection of free, built-in utilities that allow
you to work with a large collection of databases, process data from web
pages, send files though a network connection, download mail from email
servers, perform data backups, etc. This is one reason why Python is
known as a language that comes with "batteries included."

5) Python is object-oriented, which means that you can accomplish as
much as one can with PERL, yet have the benefits of a language that is
fast and easily to learn.

6) Python code can be integrated with other programming languages and is
sometimes referred to as a "glue" language. It can be integrated with
Java, C, and others.

7) Many cutting edge companies and organizations are now using Python.
To learn more, visit: http://www.python.org/community/users.html

Hope this helps,

Byron

 

[Jeff Sandys]

I spent a week trying to learn Perl with an interactive tutorial
only to get incredible H#@D@CH#$. I spent a day learning the
basics of Python and have never turned back.

 

[Peter Hansen]

I am confused between learning Python or learning Perl. Please any view,
opinions and suggestions are welcomed.

While I trust you are aware of the likely answer you'll get,
asking in a Python newsgroup whether one should learn Python,
it would be most helpful if you offered up at least one tiny,
small snippet of information about what you want to *accomplish*
with your chosen language...

If, for example, you need to use Perl in a school environment,
I wouldn't hesitate to suggest that you... (guess)... learn Perl!

-Peter

 

[LutherRevisited]

I thought I'd say if you're in school like I am, you're gonna get all the C++
you ever wanted and then some, maybe perl as well. I know my school has a Perl
course as an elective and Perl is heavily used in the bioinformatics course.
But on the plus side, I've found Python to help a wonderful support group set
up, I've even had advice directly from the Python designer. I can't think of
any other language where that has the remotest chance of happening.

 

[Cameron Laird]

Both can be incredibly useful tools for you, with which you can solve
problems much faster than with the heavyweight languages/environments
that are hyped with the Enterprise(tm) label *cough*

I believe that if Python or Perl is right for you, depends on your way
of thinking. For some people, Perl fits their mind better. But for
those that are not Python is getting them to where they want faster,
and with less headaches ;-)

I'd recommend you first download the Python interpreter, and grab a
tutorial (http://python.org/doc/Intros.html is a good starting point)
and play around with it. You'll see soon enough if you like it.

.
.
.
Absolutely on-target. Abhay, let me add emphasis to a few of
the points Gerhard has made, in recognition that you might have
a background that makes them unfamiliar or hard to grasp:
*) Learning (at least) one of Perl and Python is
a great idea. If your notions of programming
are limited to the Visual Basic-Java-C++
circle taught many places, new vistas of
productivity and reward lie before you.
*) Perl and Python are equivalent, to first
order. They are largely comparable in a
functional sense, and it's thoroughly rational
to decide between them based on specific
factors of your own situation, including how
they "feel".
*) Also in contrast to VB-Java-C++ and other
languages, you can acquire a useful sense of
these languages' characters with an invest-
ment of a few hours. They're far "lighter"
than other language technologies. Download
them, and try them out for yourself. That
counsel is not a platitude; it's the best
advice we can give.

We elaborated some of these matters in <URL:
http://www.itworld.com/AppDev/4061/swol-0202-regex/ >.

 

[Bruno Desthuilliers]

I am confused between learning Python or learning Perl. Please any view,
opinions and suggestions are welcomed.

Well... Try COBOL ?-)

Seriously, what kind of answer do you expect to find here ?