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I am thinking about to learn new language or framework. Now I deal with C# and WPF, WCF, Winforms. I have some free time so I would like get new skills.
But I have dilema, start with some C++ framework (such as Platinum, Reason, Evocosm, ACF)
or try Python / python framework.
I you are on my place which possibility you choose?
I am 17 years student, I have basic skills in C++ (OOP, little with STL), with Python I haven’t any experience.
What would be your choice and why?
Python is incredibly easy to learn, very powerful, and very useful (especially for web development IMO).
C++ is very widespread and is similar to other languages like C# and Java. Python's syntax is quite unique and AFAIK is not very similar to any other languages. Nonetheless, Python syntax is far easier to read and cleaner to write than C++.
Python is also fairly widespread and is used by huge companies like Google.
C++ has some wonderful libraries that can really help development, like Boost and Qt. Python also has excellent libraries like Django (for web development) and Twisted (for networking stuff). I find that C++ libraries tend to be broader in scope than Python libraries do, but the Python standard library is far better than the STL, IMO.
Python recently had a backwards-incompatible release (Python 3), and most libraries haven't caught up yet, so you might have to use Python 2 to take advantage of some of Python's libraries.
C++ is a lot faster than Python in terms of execution speed, but Python more than makes up for it in terms of development speed. Plus, Python allows you to write performance-critical parts of your application in C or C++.
Overall, I'd say go with Python, mostly because it's easy to learn and use, and makes programming simple and fun.
I recommend you to keep learning C++. Before you started looking for framework learn some popular search algorithm and try implement them. After that try implement some structures, like queues, list, stack, binary trees and some operation on them. Meanwhile play with I/O (for example, try write your stack to file and read it back to stack - in plain text and binary).
It was my university tour on programming class. C++ is good choice because it is hard and multiparadigmats language so in future u will find much in common with other languages and you will be familiar with memory management system.
Personally I prefer Python, but profesionally, that is if you want a good job C++ is a better choice.
I'd pick C++ for the sole reason that it's nothing like the languages you already know, even though it shares some syntax.
I strongly recommend you at least learn a bit of Python first, even if you decide stay in C++.
One may say C++ is the most powerful program language.
However, for a starter, there are too many traps and pitfalls.
In your situation, Python is something that can let you know more about programming.
Since you have no experience in Python, It's very easy to learn at the beginning.
And it will show its effect very quickly.
Plus, learning it will help you understand C++ more, like STL and Boost, they all have similarities with Python. Qt even has PyQt as a Python bindings. They have the same API, while the syntax in Python is clean and elegant.
Here is a remarkable tutorial for Python: http://diveintopython3.org/
I suggest you just try it a bit, it wouldn't hurt.
Well. Learning Python basics will take a week, and you will save the time spent in a year since it is such a good language for small hacks and scripts. So I suggest you learn it first.
Learning C++ well will take you five to ten years, so there is not the same immediate benefit :)
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I want to learn python, but I feel I should learn C or C++ to get a solid base to build on. I already know some C/C++ as well as other programming languages, which does help. So, should I master C/C++ first?
In my opinion it's better to start learning Python.
I found it easier to learn then C or C++. It has libraries to do virtually anything you might need, and can do essentially anything.
The only reason to use a more difficult language like C/C++ is if you need the performance or are writing code for an embedded system. They are not, however, what you should be learning initially.
C# is a fine language, but nothing beats Python for ease of use.
The scope of Python is quite broad, here are some examples:
Create a website (Django, etc.)
Create scripts to do tasks ranging from image manipulation to server maintenance
Create GUIs (Tkinter, etc.)
Create games (pygame)
Scientific computing (SciPy)
Python can interact directly with arbitrary C code, meaning anything which can be done in C, can be done in Python with a little work. Python is popular enough that an interface has been created for virtually everything already.
For a better look at what can be done with python out of the box, take a look at the standard library which comes with python: http://docs.python.org/library/
In short, if it can be done with a computer, and doesn't require the speed of C/C++, it can be done with Python.
I would say it depends on what you want to achieve (cheesy answer...)
The truth is, learning language is a long process. If you plan on learning a language as a step toward learning another language, you're probably wasting your time.
It takes a good year to be proficient with C++, and that is with basic knowledge of algorithms and object concepts. And I only mean proficient, meaning you can get things done, but certainly not expert or anything.
So the real question is, do you want to spend a year learning C++ before beginning to learn Python ?
If the ultimate goal is to program in Python... it doesn't seem worth it.
Real mastery of a language takes time and lots of practice .. its analogous to learning a natural language like French . you have to do a lot of practice in it. but then different languages teach you different programming methodologies.
python and c++ are all object oriented languages so you will be learning the same programming methodology
The order in which you learn languages doesn't really matter but starting from a lower abstraction to higher one makes understanding some things easier..
In my opinion you should defiantly learn Python before attempting to learn C or C++ as you will get a better understanding of the core concepts, C++ is mush lower level than Python so you will need to make more commands to do something that you can do in one line in python.
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What does C++ add to C?
What features of the language are the Clang/LLVM projects, the parts of GCC that are being written in C++, chromium, and any others all taking advantage of? What features are they avoiding?
Like all sophisticated and powerful things there is a price to be paid to succeed in C++.
You have to be incredibly careful with memory management.
Multi-paradigm capability means you have to be really good at design to avoid making a mess.
Extreme performance requires careful planning and selection of features used.
The ability to circumvent most every language policy requires monumental self discipline.
So if you're sloppy with memory, poor at design, don't need fast programs, or have no self discipline, then please don't learn C++. There is always Java or C#.
meta programming? templates?
like with C you get performance, but the code looks horrible.
with the high level languages you get nice code but there is less flexibility to make the fastest possible code.
with c++ you can do both? you can freely make anything as fast as it could be made in C, but native object orientation, and templates/operator overloading ect makes it so you can write fairly nice looking code too. indeed, you can make it so it is neat and fast.
I have never really found it more of a pain to write stuff in c++ than in a higher level language. the trick is having good libraries.
Because despite academic efforts such as Singularity, there's not a single mainstream OS where drivers can be written in a high-level language.
Note that anything that can be done in C++ can also be done in C, but some things are a lot easier in C++.
Not? I would say it's not worth if you performance is not an issue for you. (Follow the double negatives.)
My two cents:
Although I don't program in Python, I would have to say that Python is probably the best programming language for getting real work done. It's an elegant language, and it has an enormous collection of libraries for doing various things. However, my experience as a user has shown me over and over again that Python is slow (take yum, for example).
I do know Haskell pretty well, and I have to say that it's a friggin' awesome language. Better yet, it is compiled, and its speed is competitive with Java and C++ (though you have to put forth extra effort to get this speed in some cases). However, libraries for things like database access don't always match the elegance of Haskell's base libraries (I'm probably way wrong about this), and they're harder to install on Ubuntu. In my opinion, that's why it's more challenging to get real work done in Haskell than in Python.
Ruby's good for web applications. Other than that, it's slow (though I speculate jRuby or something might be faster).
C++ is far from elegant, and in many cases, elegance is frowned apon. Anyone ever told you to use static_cast instead of C-style casting? Anyone ever told you not to use namespace std;? C++ has a lot of features, but doesn't tend to have many important language features (such as closures, which are formally proven to be the best thing since sliced bread).
Why do people use C++, then? Well, it's performance-focused, making it a good choice when you need speed. It has classes, namespaces, and templates, so it's a good choice when you want better code organization, but still need to use "C" for some reason. Also, it has the Boost library, which I've heard is really good for getting work done.
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I have worked for the last 10 years in Networking & Web Development and always had an interest in programming. When I was in School I started in Basic, (To date myself) the other languages at that time were Cobol & Fortran, Where should I start in 2009? is C+ or C++ a good place? Is it better to Start Java or .net? I'm in need of some direction from Coders, Programmers, developers who can point me in the right direction. The technology changes in the blink of an eye, I'd like a good starting point to begin learning & understanding relevant code.
I think your best bet is to learn Python because
It is simple and easy language to learn
Python is capable of doing what any other main stream language can do
Python is also a very good choice for web development, with good frameworks like Django, Pylons, Turbogears etc
Google uses Python and using google appengine you could be able to quickly write web applications.
Python is also great for cross-platform desktop applications using wxPython, PyQT, Tkinter,gtk etc
Python has very rich set of libraries and frameworks e.g. PIL for imaging, numpy for computing, twisted for networking etc etc etc
Python has implementation in Java and .NET so you can program for those platforms in Python
I agree with most of the posts on here but I would like to add my own slant on this. Learning a programming language should change the way you think about programming and allow you to make useful programs. The list below is a mix of easy to learn (the basics) and helps you think about programming problems
Python it makes programming fun and easy. You will learn a lot about programming and make some cool programs in a relatively small amount of code. Will help you think about programs at a higher level than C which is a good thing.
C it's the basis of a massive number of languages and will teach you a good deal of stuff that is now considered low level. Stuff that will be useful for any programmer to know.
Haskell its a functional language which will have you thinking about programming from a different perspective. It is very useful to know this stuff - can help reduce many bugs.
I would start by gaining a basic knowledge. i.e. be able to make a text based Connect 4 game in each of these three languages (in order). Which books help you do that is largely personal preference.
Programming is not only about the code and the language. It's about everything you do at the computer read The Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete 2. Extra points for SICP and Hacker's Delight
From there if you want to know more about how programming languages work by writing a interpreter for Scheme (by reading SICP again) And/or look at FORTH. Or learn more about how to program by writing more and more programs. Once you get basic knowledge write, then re-write as many different computer programs as you can.
It all depends on your focus.
If you're looking at getting into straight development, I would recommend C#, Java or C++. (C++ is a learning curve though, and would be great to "learn", whereas C# and Java will get you started a lot quicker in doing "cool" things)
If you're looking at Web Development, look into PHP (as it's free to setup and run with) or ASP.NET (which will link to platform at a point, as you use C# or VB.NET syntax).
If you're looking at something different, have a look at ERLANG or Prolog, or those types, however I don't recommend it for a start, as it's not AS quick to get results that you might be looking for.
You'll get a dozen different people all pushing you to learn their favourite language.
When it comes down to it though it doesn't make a lot of difference. As long as you pick something that is modern and object oriented you should be fine.
Assuming you are talking about programming and not web development, any of the following would be a perfectly acceptable first language:
C#
Java
Python
C++
Ruby
VB.net (not VB6)
There are advantages and disadvantages to each; there probably aren't as many jobs in Python and Ruby, C++ is harder for a beginner, but it's stuff you need to know eventually, C#/Java hide you from that hard stuff to begin with, but like I said you'll need to learn it eventually. VB.net is derived from BASIC syntax so you might feel at home to begin with, but a lot of programmers prefer C style syntax.
If you have a specific focus in mind, then that might dictate some choices over others, but if you are just out to learn programming, then any will do. If you are ever planning on being a good programmer you will naturally learn several.
Well, technically, technology doesn't change in the blink of an eye. For instance:
Lisp: Came out in 1958. It's always had a cult following in various fields, but it's becoming more hip now with the clojure variant.
C: Came out in 1972. Obviously influences C++, Java, JavaScript (as does lisp), and still has a strong following.
Smalltalk: Came out in the 70's. Now it's hip via the ruby language.
I'm not suggesting you learn these, just that if you had learned them in the past, you'd still have relevant skills. Many of the modern languages actually take aspects from past languages. JavaScript, for instance, is a scripting language with object oriented aspects (Smalltalk, C++), functional aspects (lisp), and the syntax of C.
Learn what you're interested in, and find out what will help you accomplish your goals . But learn one and you can learn many.
The question is what you want to achieve in learning a programming language.
Do you want to get used to the basics? Then you might want to try a scripting language like Ruby or PHP. I would recommend Ruby as it's really easy to learn and advance (e.g. with IRB).
Want to write "fat" (desktop) applications? Then you should stick to C++, Java or C#.
For web applications you should use Ruby on Rails, Django (Python) or a similar web framework for the language of your choice. So you should already know a bit of the language.
C
Because it's not difficult to learn. TO LEARN, not to do "cool things".
Because is the languague that any good programmer SHOULD KNOW at least if he wants to know what's happening in the machine.
When you've learned C, then you should go to OOP: I would recommend C++ or Java, but there are a lot of OPP languages (C#, .Net), so you can choose.
Java, C++ may change a lot, but not C. So, first learn C.
Furthermore, if you want to do some Web Development, the step C -> PHP is trivial, really.
PD: C is not my favourite language, but I know that if you learn C, you will be able to learn any language you want in very few time.
Nobody can really tell you which language you should learn. Just try a few of them and then decide for yourself. Just take the one that you like the most.
Of course I wouldn't start learning a language that's already "dead", but every modern language is good for something. What you should actually do is to decide in which area of programming you want to code - so, for example, would you like to develop desktop or web applications, should the program run on any platform or are you fine with just windows or just linux or whatever. When you have decided on that, take a look at the languages that are commonly used for the area you choose and try all/many of them. Then take the language you like the most.
Read and do the assignments in The C Programming Language before anything else. It will really help you get a solid grip on fundamentals and some of the trickier issues like memory management. Then go on to OOP whether it be Java, .NET, C++ or Python.
If you start in C you'll have a tougher time starting out but will learn a lot more by the time you understand the language as compared to starting with another language. C won't teach you Object-Oriented Programming though, so after C it would be easy to move to C++ and learn the differences and then about Objects. A good book to learn C from is The C Programming Language.
Or you could go a route where you start off easier so things aren't so frustrating to start, learn a bit less, and then slowly pick up more and more about programming. You could start with Python and understand the basics of programming very quickly, and then start expanding what you know by learning other languages.
I personally started with C++, which then made a lot of other higher level languages, like Python, super easy to learn. If you want to start out learning more of the basics of programming I would probably recommend C++ first as it is a bit easier than C, and then you can learn C afterwards and it will be a bit easier, and then it'll be super easy to pick up something like Python, Java, Ruby, etc.
I think choosing a language or technology is overrated, especially when you have to learn fundamental things like object orientation or algorithms. Try to focus on the basics first and especially try to use more than one language.
In order to understand the concepts you should at least learn a dynamic language (Ruby, Python, PHP) and a "traditional" one (I would recommend either Java or C#). Functional languages are all at rage now and provide a different view onto programming than the latter two approaches.
New technologies are always nice to know, but in the end a good set of fundamental knowledge will empower you to learn them faster than they disappear.
I would say there is a massive difference between a Programming language & a Programming Language + Framework(s), usually when people say Learn Language X they are probably thinking about the Framework(s).
So if you want to actually Learn to program, try to learn the language with as little framework 'baggage' as possible, perhaps C?
Once you have gained enough working knowledge of a programming language (eg variables, loops, conditions) then move onto more broader subjects like OOP, then start looking at functional style etc.
From personnel experience I would say try and learn as many programming languages as possible (it actually gets easier the more you learn) but you will never master them all, just have enough to get by.
You will then realise that the language is the easy part, the framework and related methodology is what your actually learning when going from one language to another.
Much as I love Delphi, I think I would suggest either Java or Python. Why? Assuming you are learning on your own, I think these languages have the clearest texts and web sites for learning on your own (esp. Java).
Seeing that you're coming from two different fields (networking and web development) you can either work your way top down or bottom up in terms of high- or low level languages. If you think you want to make use of your networking knowledge (which I assume is pretty close to hardware), you might want to start with something like C, maybe Unix network programming. If you want to build on your web developer skills, you might want to try something more high level. I think Python is a good suggestion, but also Java - maybe in combination with JSP. C# would be a good choice too in my eyes.
Don't forget about platform. Are you most interested in web, mobile, or desktop development? As for languages, there are a ton out there and you'll never be able to learn them all. So I think you should determine what your goal is and whether you plan to program for fun, profit, or both. But most important of all, be sure the journey is fun for you and that you're building stuff you love.
A good reason to learn Java - besides the fact it's currently the most popular language - is that the Java Trails tutorials are really good, and really far-reaching.
C# is very, very similar to Java in most regards; also interesting to learn, and it's gaining marketshare while Java slows down.
Other than those two, I'd also strongly consider Python, for being easy to learn and very, very useful personally and professionally.
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I need to download some csv files over http from the internet, parse it and convert it to a more useful fomat. Eventually a C++ program will consume the data. A few years ago, I would be pulling out my Perl books and start writing Perl scripts to do the downloading and parsing. But now with Boost and Qt I can do the download, parsing, and throw in a GUI front end in C++ with very little effort. Last time I wrote Perl/Python was about 6 months ago. It will probably take me longer to do it in Perl/Python and my Perl/Python code will be crap. If the only tool I have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail? Or time has changed and C++ can be productive in area traditionally dominated by script languages such as Perl or Python?
What does it matter what other people might usually expect the solution to be? If you can get the work done better and faster in C++, do it in C++, end of story.
For your example it seems that you will be more productive and able to solve your problem more easily using C++ as that is what you know.
But generally I would expect that more people would use python/perl for this kind of task.
Why not?
If you're code is going to be hacky because of lack of libraries/features, then C++ might not be best.
If it needs to change often, then C++ might not be best.
If others who know Perl/Python will maintain it, then C++ might not be best.
etc.
Do you really need a GUI? Do you need the speed? Nothing has changed to make C++ a scripting language, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use it.
If it passes common sense tests like this, than why not?
Well, if you have to build a house, a hammer will work just fine. But building a house using a pneumatic framing nailer is much easier.
C++ is a fine language and you can be productive in areas that are dominated by scripting languages, but all things equal, you will be more productive using perl/python for text parsing.
The issue of productivity of C/C++ vs. python/perl seems irrelevant to me. If you want to write your parser using Qt, Boost, and any other off the shelf tool sets, do it. You didn't actually specify if the speed of parsing is an issue, but even if it was, would it even matter for your case.
Even if you think that it might be easier in language X, write it in language Y if you want to try and learn something new about that language. It sounds like a pretty easy task so just write it how you want to write it.
You also need to think about future use. If this program will need to be enhanced and extended in some way, that might dictate a specific language choice.
If you're more productive in C++ then by all means use C++. It's still a good idea to learn other languages, but sometimes you need to go with what you know to get things done.
BTW, you probably already know this, but the Boost.Tokenizer library has CSV parsing capabilities built-in through the escaped list separator.
From your description, it sounds like you have other tools besides a hammer. The more tools you have, the more efficiently you can get things done. Use whatever tools you have at your disposal to get the job done, and occasionally buy (learn) more tools.
I like C++. I hate the compile, run, test, close cycle - specifically when I need to test data. My solution: I made a small programming environment [powered by Lua] which I embed in my C++ applications and I open it at run-time and do stuff interactively. Why to stick at one programming environment or another? Use the best of both worlds.
C++ was not specially designed to handle long strings of text. (Just look at the old C-Strings... they were a nightmare for anything serious.) By contrast, Perl was made for this sort of use.
You can probably cruft together something in C++, but a Perl solution will probably be more robust and maintainable.
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I`m currently studying C++ and want to learn another language.
For work I use C# + ASP (just started learning it, actually), but I want something "less Microsoft" and powerful.
I have heard Python is a popular and powerful language, not so complicated as C++. But many people mentioned it was hard for them to get back to C++/Java from Python because they started thinking in it, get used to absence of memory management, etc.
What do you recommend?
There's no right or wrong answer, really. But I think you'll benefit more from learning Python. Given the similarities between C# and C++, you'll learn a different way of thinking from Python. The more ways you learn to think about a problem, the better it makes you as a programmer, regardless of the language.
The benefit of going from a more static language to a dynamic language is to change your programming paradigm -- it's not a matter of becoming "lazy" so much as realizing new ways of accomplishing things, which will make you better in any language.
Well, I've learnt Python after C/C++, Java and C#. Python is a great language, and its simplicity and consistency have improved the way I code. It has also helped me think more clearly about the algorithms underlying my code. I could go on about the benifits it brought me, instead I'll summarize the reason to learn it ->
Learning a new lanuage doesn't take away, it adds to your programming skill and keeps you sharp by teaching you to shift between the frames of mind that each language requires.
So go out there and learn Python. Your code will improve(TM).
P.S.
1.You'll lose C++ (or any other language) skills, if you neglect their upkeep and maintainance. Thats entirely up to you.
2.Programmer (intelligent) laziness is a virtue.
Many would argue that you would benefit from learning Python before C++.
The syntax hurdles are much, much lower;
Debugging is much more friendly
There are a plethora of libraries---batteries included, you know. It's easy to
experiment with web scraping, XML, etc. in Python. Again, the barriers to entry
in C++ are much higher.
It's still good to learn C/C++, because of its close connection to the machine. But a new programmer can learn an awful lot from exploring in Python.
I don't think that "Python makes you lazy" (nice title, anyway!).
On the contrary, in programming as in life, knowing more than one language is important; I think you'll find python amusing and sufficiently different from C++ or C# so that the languages will not get mixed in your head...
Python is complementary to C++ and easy to integrate with C++. (As evidence of this claim, the C++ gurus from Boost use Python.)
And as you said, Python gives you a way to get a perspective outside the Microsoft orbit. But even there, if you need to integrate Python with MS tools, there's IronPython.
Learning more languages can only make you a better developer, regardless of their approach. Besides, your experience with C++ (or, at least C) will come in handy for writing high-performance parts of your applications using Python's C API, which lets "raw" C and C++ code intermingle nicely with the pure Python stuff.
I still write code in Objective-C (1.0... before memory management) and Python on a daily basis. The variety is actually fun, rather than confusing; keeps things from being boring.
Flex your brain and improve your skill set. Give a functional language a whirl.
I learned C/C++, Java, Python & C# in that order.
The two I actually invariably end up using are C++ & Python; I find the niche Java & C# occupy between them to be too narrow to feel the need to use them much (at least for the stuff I do).
I also think I didn't really "get" C++ functors and boost::bind until I'd been exposed to Python.
Many languages are quite similar to others, but to move between imperitave and functional / dynamic and static / Object and Procedural languages you do need to train yourself to think within the constraints of the language you are using. Since most projects are at least a few weeks, this is generally not a problem after the first few days.
You will find it more difficult to switch away from a language+environment you enjoy in your after-hours / hobby development.
C, Macro Assembler => basically the same - difference is mainly libraries
C++, Java, C#, Delphi => basically the same paradigm - you learn quickly how to leverage the features of the specific language and adopt concepts from one syntax to another. It's basically the same way of thinking, the biggest exception is how you think of memory manangement.
Python - good language, strategically a better choice than ruby, although there are other aspects of ruby that can be argued to be superior. What make python a good choice is the presence of a formal language body which keeps python environments on different platforms very compatible to one another.
If you are interested, read this http://cmdematos.com/?p=120 on making a strategic language choice.
It is up to what exactly is the kind of applications you want to program, for example for Websites that need access to databases I would go for Ruby( and Ruby on Rails framework ) , for financial applications or applications that need a lot of parallel processing I would go for a funcional programming language like Haskell, oCaml or the new F#, these last 3 wil make you a better programer even if you don't programm a lot in them , by the way c# has been lately in the latest versions adding more and more funcional programming features. I would learn Python for a security and exploits kinds of applications.
You could learn a new programming language, like python, and use it to do all the tasks you'd normally perform in your 'core' languages; or you could take a language (like python, or perl) and use it to complement your core language.
You could learn VBScript and use it to write scripts that glue your code and others together. If you want something less Microsoft, then python, perl or bash scripting would be a good idea - not just to learn how to code in the new, but also how to do things differently from the usual 'code an app' way.
From a utility perspective, it is good to learn one of the more dynamic languages like Python (or Ruby or Perl) too. Not only do they stretch your mind, but they are superior for certain kinds of tasks. If you want to manipulate text, for example, C++ is a lot harder to use than Python. It gives you another arrow in your quiver to use when appropriate.
I learned, in order:
BASIC
Pascal
Ada
(A little bit of Haskell)
Java
Python
C++
C#
I don't feel Python inhibited my ability to learn or use C++. I am glad though that I learned pointers in Pascal before encountering reference types in Java, Python and C#, because I feel it gave me a good basis to understand the idea of the differences between "value types" and "reference types". I think for me the most important of those languages are Python, Haskell and C++. All of them complement each other, and although there are times I'm working in one and wish I had a feature from another, on the whole I think I benefit greatly from a deeper understanding of things like type systems, object orientation and metaprogramming by seeing the different ways these languages approach these things.
Try LISP instead (or afterwards, it's your call). You are at least partially right, though. using Python for a while makes you not want to go back to a statically typed and compiled language. It's just sooo much more comfortable not to have to please the compiler like ALL THE TIME ;). And yet another aspect is the readability of python code, which is awesome.
It is true. After learning python, everything else will seem like too much effort for the same amount of real work being done. You'll get used to the clean, small syntax and the freedom of GC. You will enjoy working in list comps, generators, etc. You'll start to think in python and C++ and Java will be like building a ship in a bottle one twiggy little stick at a time.
But since it's that much easier, doesn't it tempt you to try it all the more?
I think it is always good to know several programming languages. I've learned c++ at school and I've used it a lot in the past years because it is really a standard in the industry. I've learned python by my own and I am using it to make a lot of nice tools that would be too long to write in c++.
Python has just a very positive influence on my c++ skills. It gives another way to think.