As you'll find is often the case, many simply can't avoid it. I can't. The systems I work on are backed by the JVM and run Java, but with Python on top. (Jytho

As you'll find is often the case, many simply can't avoid it. I can't. The systems I work on are backed by the JVM and run Java, but with Python on top. (Jython - Python 2.5 implemented in Java - if you're looking for the implementation.) As is almsot always the case, it's utter crap except for how useful and great it is. You get to do a ton of scripting in Python, and it has near-transparent access to the Java modules, too. So you can do things like from com.companyName.module.class import myFunction and it just works. And it's terrible because you're doing crazy things like mixing Java paradigms with Python's style and it gets a bit nuts. But you're making money, solving problems, and in the end, it's all about the trade-offs. For my work, Jython nails that sweet spot. I would run screaming if I saw it stand alone, but I won't spite it given my alternative is VBA. (Which I also won't shit on - VBA has saved my bacon more than a few times!)