Monday, January 27, 2003

A Conversion with Guido van Rossum This set of interviews done with Guido back in July are just now being published. The first five are already available, and there will be one more installment next week. They are quite interesting, especially the third one which explores Python programmer productivity compared to other languages. In Part I: The Making of Python, van Rossum describes Python's history, major influences, and design goals. In Part II: Python's Design Goals, van Rossum talks about Python's original design goals—how he originally intended Python to "bridge the gap between the shell and C," and how it eventually became used on large-scale applications. In Part III: Programming at Python Speed, van Rossum discusses the source of Python's famed programmer productivity and the joys of exploring new territory with code. In Part IV: Contracts in Python, van Rossum discusses the nature of contracts in a runtime typed programming language such as Python. In Part V: Strong versus Weak Typing, van Rossum discusses the robustness of systems built with strongly and weakly typed languages, the value of testing, and whether he'd fly on an all-Python plane. 1:35:07 PM    comment []