I was feeling stuck trying to make something work in Java, and, even though I have about 1/10 the Python experience, I decided to try to do the same thing in Python. About 15 minutes later, I was ready to become a full-on Python convert.

I guess I am starting to think about this more personally than theoretically: whatever advantages pure Java has, I am starting to feel like I never get much done with it when compared to times when I am working in a scripting language / environment.

Coincidentally, last night, I was helping Anastasia with some of her work where she is having to work with / around code in PHP, Perl, and ColdFusion for some of her clients. Then, later, I started getting into Python myself and, by the time I was ready for bed, I realized I had banged out more useful scripting code in a few hours than I had Java code all week.

In the middle of all of this, I was playing with Jython, which is cool. But, I specifically wanted to write something using Mark Pilgrim's Feed Parser, couldn't get it working in Jython, remembered that Mac OS X has got Python right there at the command line, and found myself practically a Python convert in short order.

I really need to give Groovy a good spin, especially given the possibility that it may become a Java standard. (Need to check-out that new blojsom GroovyDispatcher.) But, because there is so much (open source, web-useful) code being written in Python and PHP, I wish we were at a point where I could just use that code alongside Java in my applications.