Re: Matlab

[Justin Sheehy <address@hidden>]

Morgan McGuire <morgan3d@yahoo.com> writes:

> Before I met Python, Matlab was my scripting language of choice. 
> Recalling this leads me to new definition of lightweight language, or
> at least "scripting language"...
>
> A lightweight language has one data structure and uses it well.
>
> Perl, TCL - String
> Python, Scheme - List
> Matlab - Matrix

If I heard you use that definition but didn't see the examples, I
would have said "dictionary" for Python.  I disagree with the
definition in any case, but if one had to pick a predominant and
pervasive data type in Python it would be the dictionary.  Among other
things, namespaces and classes are effectively implemented in terms of
this basic and well-optimized data structure.

The Python list (which is really more like a possibly-heterogenous
array than a Scheme list) isn't really as integral to the language,
though it is also necessary.

-Justin