Python advocacy

[Peter Hansen]

jschmitt at vmlabs.com wrote:
> 
> I just read this good article about Perl advocacy.  I think it applies
> to Python equally.  I found the link mentioned from /. this morning.
> 
> http://www.perl.com/pub/2000/12/advocacy.html?wwwrrr_20001213.txt [snip]

I didn't bother reading the whole thing because I noticed early on (and
confirmed throughout) that the author is oblivious to the huge
investment people put into developing systems in a particular language
(not to mention the investment in *learning* that language) and the fact
that as long as the language stays popular, improves, and continues to
serve their needs well, they get a payoff from that investment.

If the language "dies", that investment is largely lost.

The theory is that by advocating a language one can increase the
likelihood of its survival and improvement.  If true, then advocating a
language directly serves ones own needs.

There is no reason to focus on the fact that people appear to take this
sort of thing personally.  That's probably just human nature, and likely
not even a Bad Thing.  The point is there are good and wholly rationale
reasons for advocacy even in its current style, and you could say that
anyone who does *not* advocate a particular language is contributing to
its demise (the "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the
problem" theory of life :-).

I think I'll just ignore whatever other, possibly valid points
Mark-Jason Dominus may have made and carry on advocating as I always
have.  He hasn't convinced me.