I used to think the same thing about Lisp syntax. I wondered how anyone could like it at all. For the last several years I've done a lot of coding in Scheme,

I used to think the same thing about Lisp syntax. I wondered how anyone could like it at all. For the last several years I've done a lot of coding in Scheme, and I have to admit, I've grown to really like it. I think the primary reason people dislike Lisp/Scheme-style syntax is that it is so very different than what they are used to. For years we've been programming in Algol-like syntaxes (C, C++, Java, etc) -- and when you're used to that, Lisp-like languages look so foreign that the natural response is often "ew! that looks awful!". I know it's probably been said here multiple times before, but you really do get used to the parentheses, and eventually I think you'll even appreciate them (if you decide to really give Lisp or Scheme a chance).