Re: bash vs. python scripts - which one is better?
Nate Duehr wrote:
> And when you venture past yours, you'll find that ALL programming
> languages have SERIOUS flaws in them... and that most can get this
> particular relatively simple job done, just fine, with fairly similar
> amounts of effort by someone who is sufficiently skilled in that
> particular language.
Which was never my point. As expressed several times now. Please stop
ignoring it.
> In other words, if it takes you only 15 minutes to write something to do
> the job in Python, because you enjoy Python, someone else will also just
> as easily (to them) write the same program with the same results in
> shell, or Perl, or zsh's flavor of "shell" or whatever.
Sorry, I seriously doubt that.
> It doesn't matter -- at all -- what you choose, if you're comfortable
> with your choice. Even if you're not good with a particular language or
> any language, starting the project and ignoring the constant clamor of
> the hoards of people spending their time arguing about which language is
> "better", you'll get far more done than they ever will accomplish.
Difference is the OP was requesting opinions. You don't like mine.
Great, we got it.
> You appear to have found the God of Python meets your every need, and
> you bow down and submit your reverent respect for the sacrament of
> Whitespace, as all who follow the Python path, must.
Sorry, no, that is where you are wrong. I am correcting the
misconceptions that other people have about whitespace and also giving my hard
earned experience in scripting several different languages on many different
platforms. However if you think for one second that I think others should
conform to my ideals then you missed my final message to the OP.
-----
Manon Metten wrote:
> > But I think the scope of regina-rexx is somewhat limited compared to
> > python. But for the moment I can use it and gradually learn bash, python,
> > perl or whatever suits me.
In all honesty, that is the best thing to do. Go with what you know and
expand into what you prefer from there.
-----
Hardly sounds like someone pushing his ideals on others. There's a fine
line between expressing an opinion, correcting misconceptions and believing
that others are truly wrong in what they do. I've done two of the three and
neither is the one you think I've done.
> The original poster seemed worried that he only knows a couple of
> (perhaps) obscure languages. If those languages can't make system
> calls, he'll have to learn something new. But the hardest concept to
> pass to folks staring at that mountain is that the underlying concepts
> of variables, loops, conditionals, etc etc etc... don't change!
Nope, they don't. But at the same token there are measurable and
quantifiable differences in the effectiveness of coding practices and the
effect a language has on how quickly one can hammer out code.
> I'll give you one thing Steve, you were one of the only people to
> publish code samples. Nicely done on that.
Two or three, actually.
> But I truly believe (after watching these debates go on literally for
> over a decade in many cases) that the choice of language is personal,
That it is. But when there are skewed perceptions about what comes into a
language then one can miss great opportunities which might better suit their
personal feel of what a language should or should not do.
> I think it matters little, for such a small and simple program, what
> language is used. The OP just needs to try a few and see what they like.
But that's just it. The OP did not mention what use he had for his
language. You're looking at the narrow scope of "oh, someone wants to convert
files from A to B". That is not what was asked. What was asked was a general
case of which is better, bash or Python. Both are fully capable of handling
the quick and dirty cases that shell does a passable job at. That is why the
example of converting a file from A to B came about. But of those two choices
only Python can go on to do a great many other things.
Given the general case with no specific information are you going to
recommend the simplistic and idiosyncratic, limited use shell scripting
language or are you going to recommend the language which can handle anything
shell does just as well, can also be used for near-native programming of
graphical, cross-platform applications, has been used as a scripting languages
for games as well as the main programming language for games themselves?
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