I've had this curiosity about Python for a while. I saw some articles that compare Python against Perl, Java and other languages, but my only programming reference is PHP. That is practically all I know. I would like to hear any opinion from anyone who has some experience with Python and PHP, saying if there is anything better or worse between the two languages. Bias and prejudice are highly welcome! :-)

Luciano ES
Santos, SP - Brasil

    Hi!

    I've been in the same quest for the coolest language for web programming but I've found that PHP is the best. Anyway, if you know it, there's no need to learn another one. Of course, Python is said to be more object-oriented (although I didn't check, and OOP capabilities of PHP grow as it moves along), it can be used for desktop app development (with appropriate extensions for that, although PHP-GTK serves the same purpose. There's a variety of articles on Devshed if you want to check out its functionality.

    I recently read an article comparing many web-oriented scripting languages and Python is said to be slower. Although this is such a relative term...

    So far I stayed with PHP, use for two corporate websites I am working on and am pretty happy with it. One can begin to say that JSP for instance is compiled, which makes the code faster, that ASP is compiled too and more reliable, but so much also depends on a good provider and the hardware they use. Plus PHP is supported more widely than anything else. In this respect it's only beaten by Perl.
    Zope is built using Python. Check it out too at www.zend.com. I think it's not the fastest one can get, to my thinking.

    All the best in your quest,
    Stas

      I just installed Python and ran a few simple scripts. It is definitely slower than PHP. Being able to make desktop apps is tempting though... The development of PHP-GTK seems to be very slow, it might take quite a while until is really usable.

      Luciano ES
      Santos, SP - Brasil

        Hi!

        For desktop development with Python, check the cross-platform library at wxWindows (search Google for the URL). Under extensions you will find a special extension for Python.
        You still need to install Python on your client machines. It doesn't compile to a single EXE.

        Anyway, PHP-GTK is a new thing and with time we could see it grow better. It also harnesses all the power of PHP, so it should be as powerful as Java in this respect. Of course Java has lots of extensions and libraries, but look at any visual application in Java - aweful to say the least. The interface is clunky and unmanageable. The latest version of Zend IDE is so slow I had to kick my computer a few times to make menus fall down a bit faster than a second. And that's on Celeron 466.

        As to development of desktop apps, I prefer Visual Basic for speed, power (you can do amazing things if you know WinAPI) and much more. I haven't checked PHP-GTK or vxWindows Python, I probably need to get up-to-date.

        Best regards,
        Stas

          I'd love to develop a desktop app in PHP, but another serious problem about PHP-GTK, at least for me, is that it requires GTK (duh!) and I prefer to work in Windows. GTK is clearly targeted at the Linux OS.

          But I am drifting. This is supposed to be a thread about Python...

              Luciano ES
              Santos, SP - Brasil

            Yes, I do.

            The first one is huge and admittedly buggy.

            The second one is for NT/2000 only.

            :-(

            Even if it works, I'll have to learn GTK. If I am going for all that trouble, I might just as well learn another language, like C... or Python.

            Luciano ES
            Santos, SP - Brasil

              Just to make sure you know... gtk really isnt a language. Its a set of libraries for a vareity of languages (C being the main one). So its like opengl. Its not really a stand alone "language" but a set of libraries that is driven by another language.

              But know we are way off topic.

              Sorry

                Write a Reply...