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What is Python Bad For?&toc - Python
Once you have glimpsed the power and simplicity of Python, you may never go back. Evelyn compares Python with Perl, Java, and Tcl, illustrating differences along the way with explicit code segments.
Python is not the perfect language for every programming task. For example, it is not suited to system-level programs, like device drivers and kernels, because it is too high level to give tight control over memory allocation and other low-level tasks. Also, because it is relatively slower than C and other compiled languages, Python is not well suited to computationally intensive applications, though it can be used as a framework or glue language around such applications.
Who Uses Python? The most direct example of a Linux Python user is Red Hat. They use Python extensively for their system administration tools and configuration tools.
Other companies using Python include DigitalCreations, who received venture capital on the condition that they released the source to their Web authoring system, Zope, which is written in Python, and which uses Python as the extension scripting language.
Notable programmers who have joined the Python camp include Eric Raymond, who has chosen Python as the implementation language for his Trove project, and Bruce Eckel, author of Thinking in Java , who says "Python has the potential of being an exceptionally productive language".
How To Get Python Most Linux distributions ship with a relatively recent version of Python. If you're interested in getting the most up-to-date version, the Python.org Web site has binaries for most popular operating systems, as well as source and RPM distributions.