berserk.org

An article from the creator of python on Strong versus Weak Typing

This is a good read, and some great views are brought up. I think I find myself agreeing with more often with Guido than not.

It seems to me that python takes the “I shouldn’t care what this is” to the next level. Taken by itself, of course that is what it does. Let me explain. Take an interface for example. There is the camp that believes you should name all of
your interfaces beginning with an I (so you know it’s an interface). Why should you care that it is
an interface?! String strFirstName is yet another classic example.

I suppose it is all preference and style. Which in my mind is really a question of the pursuit (or lack) of quality. So what is quality? Elegance? What is elegance? Simplicity?

My favorite part:
<start>
Flying with Python

Bill Venners: Speaking of spacecraft, would you be comfortable enough with the robustness of Python systems to fly on an airplane in which all the control software was written in Python?

Guido van Rossum: That depends much more on the attitude of the design team that built it than on the language the team chose. There are situations where doing part of the software in Python makes much more sense than doing it in any other language, even if it must have the reliability requirements of a spacecraft or air traffic control.
<end>

This whole thing reminds me of a book I recently finished. This is the kind of book that is going to take a few passes to digest properly.

The main thing here though, as with anything that pushes you to question yourself, is are you refusing to acknowledge things because it disturbs your comfort level, or are you truly seeking the truth? Or are you just being lazy?

[update] All Guido van Rossum conversations can be found here