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Good articlePython (programming language) has been listed as one of the Engineering and technology good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Article milestones
DateProcessResult
March 7, 2007Good article nomineeListed

Python is an imperative programmin language?

Like Perl and PHP. Python is an aimperative programming languge. So we should add it to the imperative languages Category ? --- Fırat KÜÇÜK

"more-accurate, consensus, well-cited"

Hi,

I don't think this revert is appropriate, especially given the rationale.

  1. "More accurate" is pretty obviously disputable, from a five-second appraisal of the descriptions of the relevant terms. Python isn't domain-specific, which is an important aspect of VHLPLs.
  2. Claiming consensus on a change which was apparently never discussed (there's nothing regarding it on talk since the change was made) puts a rather excessive amount of weight on the status quo. I'd argue that if this is your criterion for consensus then it lies the other way, given that until said change the article sat the other way for years.
  3. It's cited to a single book, which incidentally is also the single source for the claim that "Some high-level programming languages such as Python, Ruby, and Scheme are often considered to be VHLL" on very high-level programming language, and doesn't even give a page number. I assume the "well" part here applies to it being an O'Reilly, but we've had problems with that before - some guy spent weeks reverting people who objected to the obviously incorrect assertion that PHP was copyrighted to the Apache project, based on an O'Reilly which made that claim.

Given that it isn't disputed that Python is high-level, but it is disputed that it's very high-level, I reckon we should just use high-level. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 11:26, 19 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

If you look at the general usage of VHLL, it's really not the same thing as 5GL, as your "domain-specific" comment suggests. I.e. look at:
Since you're proposing a controversial change to the lead (that seems wrong to me, a long-standing editor of that article), please bring it up on discussion for the article rather than just make the change). LotLE×talk 17:28, 19 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with Chris that it should be high-level programming language rather than very high-level programming language. Martinelli's work is an excellent Python reference, and I don't detract from it. But Martinelli is a known Python advocate, and advocacy is not an objective of a Wikipedia article. There's no question that Python is high-level, but "very high-level" is getting more into areas of opinion.

Lulu, your work on this article is appreciated, but being a long-standing editor does not bestow any particular weight to your views. I know you're very protective of this article, but this might be a good time for you to re-read WP:OWN. TJRC (talk) 18:24, 25 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I was well-familiar with the term VHLL (which precisely matches Python, as well as some "similar languages" like Ruby, Rebol, Perl, xBase, probably Scheme) long before I ever knew Martelli; the citation to him is a perfectly good one, but only inasmuch as it supports a widely understood nomenclature (as it does). This has nothing to do with advocacy—I certainly don't believe a VHLL is generically better than a HLL—it's simply about stating a more accurate, neutral fact.
FWIW, being a long-standing editor actually is rather important in evaluating opinions on article changes. Likewise it's of some significance that I'm an actual subject-area expert here as well. Of course I don't WP:OWN the article, but perhaps you ought to pay a bit of attention to the fact that I do know what I'm talking about (or read the couple other references I link above, for example). LotLE×talk 04:42, 26 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Solution: extend the VHLL article? Since the current VHLL article on Wikipedia is a stub (and the ACM articles require a subscription), it would be a great help if you experts (David , Chris and TJRC) could work together to get it into a generally useful state, e.g. so that non-expert software development readers can appreciate the criteria that distinguish VHLLs, HLLs, 4GLs etc. Once that groundwork is in place, it might be appropriate to add sub-sections to show why Python, Ruby &c should be regarded as VHLLs. Any debate could then take place on the VHLL talk page, which would provide a better context for the discussion. Does that work for you? - Pointillist (talk) 23:07, 9 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It does. Admonition acknowledged, VHLL is very stubby, and I am someone who should make it better. Time and attention :-). LotLE×talk 07:03, 10 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Slackware Anaconda?

In the Usage section, this is said:

Slackware, Red Hat Linux and Fedora use the pythonic Anaconda.

AFAIK, as a long-time Slackware user, Slackware does not use Anaconda. However, not being a Slackware guru, I'm uncomfortable with taking definitive action over this matter. I mean, it would take some work to merge Anaconda into Slackware to make this statement true :D

But seriously, if nobody disagrees within a couple days or so, I guess I'll remove Slackware from that list.--I80and (talk) 13:34, 24 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Is that snake logo official? According to the creator of Python, the programming language Python does not relate to the snake, but to the Monty python flying circus. The logo should therefore be a big fot IMO. --Malin Randstrom (talk) 07:32, 19 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The logo is however a snake. First one was a little green snake, the recent one is the one you can see in the article. Just go to the official Python site, you’ll see it. fr:Leafcat 13:49, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Code samples

I came across a good non-trivial code sample on the German Wikipedia, an implementation of quicksort. See de:Python_(Programmiersprache). 

def quicksort(liste):
    if len(liste) <= 1:
        return liste
    pivotelement = liste[0]
    links  = [element for element in liste[1:] if element <  pivotelement]
    rechts = [element for element in liste[1:] if element >= pivotelement]
    return quicksort(links) + [pivotelement] + quicksort(rechts)

Perhaps I'm not looking hard enough, but I don't see an obvious place to put it. I'm also not entirely sure what I need to do GFDL-wise to import the code sample here. Karl Dickman talk 21:02, 25 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Python syntax and semantics? I'm pretty proud that this article doesn't have much in the way of code, to be honest. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 21:03, 25 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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