Comparing C++ to Python Term Paper

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Computer coding languages are no different from other languages used around the world to communicate. There are subtle differences and some similarities. At a basic level there are even some universal laws or rules of language that apply. For Python and C++, this is just as true. This paper will compare C++ to Python and show where strengths and weaknesses appear.

The key difference between C++ and Python is that the former simply acts as a general purpose language for programmers. If French is a highly-advanced Western language, Python may be viewed as its equivalent in the coding world. C++ on the other hand would be viewed as a language like Latin—the root of many of the Western languages and therefore applicable to most. C++ comes from the original C language. C++ is static, free-form, multi-paradigm and compiled. Python is also general purpose but it is much more high-level: it is cleaner, direct, easily read and allows for quick programming.

C++ is generally viewed as a programming language for intermediate level users. It contains low-level and high-level features, and utilizes classes that allow for more complex calls to be made. C++ was designed to enhance C but then began to be seen as a preferred language in its own right. Today, however, when programmers want fast results, Python acts as a shortcut because its code is much brief in expression than that of other languages. Concepts can be written in fewer lines.

One of Python’s main strengths is that it allows programmers to program quickly. Compared to C++, Python is like a Tesla Roadster that is able to go from 0 to 60 mph in 2 seconds flat. C++ on the other hand is like an old golf cart that will never even hit 60 mph. Then why do programmers prefer C++? The fact that is that even though Python allows programmers to go faster when developing a program, Python programs still run more slowly than C++. Other programmers prefer Python because they love it for its quick programming times: Python has a high-level of data types that are already built in to the application, which enables a programmer to spend as little time as possible making a declaration about a type of argument or variable.

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Python is also designed so that it has a very powerful list of dictionary types, so that there is strong syntactical support written directly into the application. It is like a writer using Microsoft Word and not having to worry about checking spelling or editing because the application does that for him as he goes. It reduces the amount of time that must be spent in the writing process, and for a programmer that means faster results.

However, Python must work hard when it comes to running. An example of how this is so can be found in a simple evaluation process: if one is evaluating an a + b expression, Python will examine the objects to determine their type because this is not clear during compilation. Once the object type is found, then the program begins the next operation, and so on, all of which may lead to overloading. C++ allows the programmer to declare the variables up front so that there is no risk of overloading, as the program can perform the simple evaluation without trouble.

How this basic comparison impacts one’s view of Python and C++ is that Python is commonly seen as a “glue language” while C++ is seen as a “low-level implementation language” (Rossum, 2015). In other words, the two programs can actually be combined together so that when it comes to writing the code, Python can be a great and useful application while running the code can find that C++ is superior. Switching between the two and….....

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