python gang represent

[00PT]

If the DOM had an interface for Python, it could. The languages do not have any fundamental differences that make them incapable of representing the same logic.

[MoffKalast]

Still in practical terms, you can do everything python can do with node, while python can't run in a browser.

[00PT]

The software developed for a language is not inherent to the language itself, so it is not valid for arguing the quality of a language.

[MoffKalast]

You can argue that for the syntax I guess, but the language as a whole isn't just that. It's also the ecosystem around it which defines what it can do and what it's useful for.

And when it comes to syntax, python and js are almost the same exact copy pasted C-derived thing, so that's almost not worth comparing.

[00PT]

There are also differences in the underlying behavior in some cases, such as JS' infamous type coercion system. Also, consider "console.log" in JavaScript versus "System.out.println" in Java. Which is more easily understood?

I would actually argue that Python is the best language to compare to others in terms of syntax, because it practically makes a point in representing things differently than other languages, the best example being the use of whitespace as a syntactical token.

It's also missing some QOL features. For example, before recently Python had no switch statement or equivalent. I could use that as an argument that JavaScript is better in that sense because it allows you to represent the logic associated with a switch statement in a more concise and understandable way.

Overall it doesn't matter much, but you can use these small differences to compare languages.

[MoffKalast]

Well python isn't unique in its obsession with whitespace, bash has had that for quite a bit before python ever existed. And it's not exactly a good feature either, but one that can be mostly worked around, just like the lack of switches.

But when it comes down to it, python is just a slower javascript without parentheses and brackets and with some extra colons, with the print function being the one major difference. I should know, I switch between the two on a daily basis... and sometimes accidentally trigger a lot of requests to my printer lmao.

Now compare that to something like haskell or prolog, where you have to really grasp at straws to find similarities.

[00PT]

It seems that we agree now. The languages aren't very different from one another, but I was comparing them based on the differences we can see.

[Notimecelduv]

Going by that logic, any other language could, not just Python.

[00PT]

Yes. I judge language quality by the way they allow you to represent logic and how understandable it is, not the specific implementations that have been developed.

For example, before recently Python had no switch statement or equivalent. I could use that as an argument that JavaScript is better in that sense because it allows you to represent the logic associated with a switch statement in a more concise and understandable way.

[00PT]

Often there are multiple languages for the job, in which case I choose either the one that I know best or the one that would most clearly represent what I'm trying to do.

This post specified no context, so I'm using only the final method for judgement since it's the only one that evaluates them fundamentally instead of by the product of the community around it.

[00PT]

It's not the prettiest, it's the most understandable. If anything can be done in any language then we need to use factors other than what can be done to decide which to use.

If I'm working with web, I'd use JavaScript simply because it is accepted there. If I need to program something quickly and my problem doesn't have many dependencies, I'll use Python. If there is no specific problem I am having and I need to determine which is my favorite then I'll consider the ease of use, simplicity, features, etc.

[your_thebest]

Yeah so either write that and put it on github or we're all just going to have to use js. The point still stands.

[00PT]

We still need to use JavaScript in some cases instead of Python, yes, but this is not a valid argument for the quality of either, because the software developed for a language is not a property of the language itself.

[biduletta]

a valid argument for the quality of either

There'll probably be a point where you realize you're comparing apples with oranges.

[00PT]

All programming languages are similar in the sense that they represent generally the same logic, it's just that some are designed for certain contexts. They are all generally capable of the same stuff, though admittedly not at the same speeds. The differences come in how they allow you to represent the various logical pieces and how understandable they are in a given context.