is python mainly for linux or is it usefull in windows too? im learning c++ and starting to be better then the average joe, but cant really implement the ideas of c++ without refering back to my notes , would python be easier to use and implement then the extensive library of c++?? also does python use a compiler? if not what do i use to work with it,
thanks, kc

Python can be used for Windows, too. Here's a link to the: Python Installer for Windows. There's also a great tutorial on Python.

That said, Python is mainly used for scripting behind-the-scenes. If you want a graphical user interface (GUI), you'll need a third-party GUI library for Python, and you may be better off sticking with C++ or perhaps C#.

When learning any programming language, you will have to refer back to your notes or the documentation frequently. With experience, less frequently. ;-) I don't think choosing another language will change that.

Hope that helps!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tkinter is built into Python, and C++ has no built in GUI libraries. Yes, Python is considered by most a scripting language, but don't let that turn you off to it. You can go and make cool games with Pygame or any of the other game engines for Python, you can download NumPy and have a powerful Matlab substitute and you can create cross-platform GUI programs with PyQT (or Tkinter).

And C# is cool too.

But like Stutzbach said, learning another language won't help you if you still don't know how to properly implement it (with good OOP, readable code, etc). You might want to check out a book on OOA&D (object oriented analysis and design). I ran through Head First OOA&D at Barnes and Noble and like all of their books, it looked easy to understand and because they give examples using UML (unified modeling language) the syntax and "theory" should be familiar to your current C++ knowledge.

Either way, it's never bad to learn another language. C# is in my list, Python I'm currently working on, Java I've already learned and C++ is on its way too. Cool thing about Python though; it can easily be used to add flexibility to your C++ code. Import the Python interpreter and you can code changes very quickly and easily.

Python tries to base itself on a focused, tight, core that is easy to learn, with a large standard library of modules to help you in a wide variety of tasks. Python works on many platforms, including Windows and Macs. Go here for more information: http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide .