(04-06-2012, 11:38 PM)scummos Wrote: You don't have to. But if you want to profit from the languages' features, you should.
For example, functions are objects in python, so you can re-assign them, for example:
Those concepts don't really exist in C++ (you could probably work-around them, but nothing useful). With the C++ "An object is an area in memory containing some function-pointers and data" idea, you won't be able to use python's real power.
Yes, if I came into Python, C++, Java, or some other language with only general knowledge of what objects where, I wouldn't be able to use the particular features it offers right away. Nonetheless, having a good, even a rough idea of what an object is, lets me start using objects, even at a basic level, in a given language quickly. The finer points and differences of that language are then learned later. Still I don't have to relearn the entire concept of what objects are, not totally, so I can quickly jump to devoting time to those aforementioned differences.