William Djaja Tjokroaminata wrote:

>
>    1) Indentation-based syntax
>

I've used Python and although I soon got used to this I had a major 
problem. I indent my code as I'm developing but I put the debug code 
hard on the left margin. This makes inserting a print statement or 
whatever easy and detecting it when it requires removal is also easy. 
However Python required my debug code the indent correctly and therefore 
my debug code 'disappears' into the body of the code. Adding comments to 
mark the code starts to become a real chore. What was 5 print statements 
ends up as 15 lines added to the code.

An editor macro helps but the 'paperwork' starts to build up and bulk 
out the code. At this point the language is starting to get in my way.

>
>    2) "There is only one way to do it"
>
1) Makes code maintenance nice and easy
2) It had better be a sensible 'way to do it' (Think Java classes v.s. 
Ruby classes)

>
>I think 1) at the time Python was introduced (several years ago) was
>really "revolutionary" (well, yes, there were already several non-popular
>languages that were indentation-based such as ABC(?)), as all other
>
Yes it was ABC, Python took it's indentaion model from ABC as I recall. 
And yes ABC was 'non-popular'.