This post is mostly reference, with some thoughts on structure at the end!

Pythonic

while i < 3:
    print "still less than three!"
    i = i + 1                       # i += 1

Javascripture

var i = 0;

var whileloopfunction = function (counter) {
    while (i < counter) {
        console.log("a way more complicated way to do this, it seems!");
        i++;
    }
}

whileloopfunction(3)

Not sure exactly how to simplify this. The reason that I’ve made the parameter counter is because it seems that I must create a function with a parameter so that it can be called.

Ah – I just tried it taking the counter param out altogether and made the while loop’s condition (i < 3), calling whileloopfunction() with no argument and it works just fine. Experimentation! Sliiiightly simpler than previously, though it was a good lesson all the same.

This is looking so much to me like a simplified object, at least, simplified from the perspective of Python. This statement may confuse people – after all, Python is a more human-readable language, right? Well, its objects are a mess if you ask me, though the rest of it is lovely. I was once told that you start to really understand OOP when you learn a second OOP language. I think that is becoming true. What a relief – it's been frustrating not knowing.

Ah, one last thing – I'm pleased to present these posts to you, now written in Markdown instead of the hammer-where-you-need-a-toothpick html formatting! Thanks, WordPress!

So in python, you can use a function called range() to (conventionally – I know there are other uses) easily iterate over, yknow, a range of numbers or through a list/array/yaddayadda. It works like this:

for i in range(13): # you can also limit it on the lower bound, a la range(7,13), 
    print i         # but be ye wary of yon fenceepostee

While going through some javascript tutorialling, I found a typical learner problem that I found later that I’d been approaching the wrong way, but if you’ll bear with me & restrain thyself from punching angrily through your computer/rotary telephone, COME WITH ME ON THIS JOURNEY:

For a Rock Paper Scissors game, lesson 11 or 12 of the Functions lesson of Codecademy‘s javascript class, it asks the student to use a randomize function (Math.random()) to call “rock” when the first third of the number, “paper” when the second, and “scissors” when the third. My FIRST thought was to use a range function, like if i in range(.33) and if i in range(.34,.66)! So I tried a couple of different syntactial approaches that seemed javascriptey, they didn’t work, so I went a-googlin’ (how you do) and found the following solution:

Array.apply(null, Array(5)).map(function (_, i) {return i;});
[0,1,2,3,4]

I know I’m new to javascript, but that is honestly barely parseable. I’m not here to wail about things that one language does that another doesn’t, but this was a difference that frustrated me – – until (and you patient few, I know you’ve been waiting for this) I realized that there’s another way to solve this problem! And that’s the beautiful thing about programming, particularly learning different languages. I remember using this syntax in other learning situations, back in the day when I first learned Python. The resolution is to use the (javascript) format of:

if (i < .33) {
    return "computer chose rock";
}
else if (i <= .66) {
    return "computer chose paper";
} else {
    return "computer chose scissors";
}

which looks (save the curly braces, ;, & s/else_if/elif) nearly the same as pythonic syntax.

MORAL OF THE STORY: there are many ways to do many different things! fabulous!