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The Python Paradox, by Paul Graham
GnuVince writes "Paul Graham has posted a new article to his website that he called "The Python Paradox" which refines the statements he made in "Great Hackers" about Python programmers being better hackers than Java programmers. He basically says that since Python is not the kind of language that lands you a job like Java, those who learn it seek more than simply financial benefits, they seek better tools. Very interesting read."
You use Java for many reasons, I would guess. In large part because you have a job using Java? You got a job using Java because Java has certain attributes and advantages, many of which are valid. But those advantages are soleless. They are advantages like "you can find Java developers". Or the conservative nature of your workplace. Risk avoidance. Even encapsulation -- a technique intended to save developers from themselves. People who consider that an advantage are exactly the people Graham is not talking about.
A lot of people choose Java, but only a very small number for open source projects, especially if you discount projects that were initiated by corporations. If Java is so great, why don't they use it? Because, in that case, the developer has a choice. Because the choice is left to their personal aesthetic sense -- exactly the sense Paul Graham spends so much time talking about.
Changing topics: aspects. Aspects are stupid. They make sense in a language like Java that has no metaprogramming capabilities. They are absurd in other languages like Python or Lisp. It's a whole technique built around a broken language. Metaprogramming facilities like metaclasses and macros do everything aspects do, only they do it reliably and transparently. Aspects are literally just a form of macro, and yet they manage to obfuscate even that simple idea, maybe to make it appear revolutionary.