Python, the weird bits

import statement
- file based namespacing
- related package/module hell
exception handling and tracebacks
BIFs implemented as classes (http://code.activestate.com/recipes/259173-groupby/)
dict
- __iter__
- items/iteritems
- pop/popitem
Objects are Python’s abstraction for data
under-under (dunder == double underscore)
- magic methods
- ugly syntax
- interpreter indirection
metaclass
descriptors
Unform Access Principle
- attribute definition by assignment
- uniform access as attributes
functions as just any other name in a module
- def'ing 2 functions with same name in same namespace clobbers first!
- really bad with tests; copy-paste incremental tests
decorators
with statement
- leaks scope
generators (overloaded function syntax)
lack of well defined conventions
metaprogramming
- overriding __new__ to return arbitrary objects
- hand wiring everything !!!
violations of PEP 20 -- The Zen of Python
RuPy conf: Tradeoffs and Choices, Why Ruby isn't Python -Yehuda Katz
distutils, setuptools, distribute, pip and the barren wastelands!