PyOpinion: Does Python Programming Marginalize You?

[Gareth McCaughan]

Richard P. Muller wrote:

> What else should we be doing to make Python *the* programming language
> rather than *a* programming language?

We don't (well, shouldn't) want Python to be *the* programming
language. I would be very sorry to wake up one morning and find
that suddenly there was no more Common Lisp or no more C,
unless Python had somehow mutated into something that could
do all the things they do. (Including running as fast as
they can.) I don't think that's likely to happen any time
soon.

I think Python is becoming steadily more popular for all
sorts of purposes. I don't think using Python leads to
marginalisation. (Especially for those like you who know
10-15 languages, assuming you mean "know well enough to
do real work in".)

What can you do to make Python more popular and more mainstream?
Pick some computing task you want to do moderately often
but that most people do with something other than Python.
If it's not easy to do in Python, make it easy to do in
Python (write a module, or some documentation, or whatever
it takes). If it's easy once you know how but not easy to
find out how, write up how to do it in a way that anyone
can understand. (If it's already just plain easy, you picked
a sub-optimal task.) The aim, in every case, is to make the
learning curve as non-existent as possible. Now put your code,
documentation, and whatever else on a web page, and announce
the fact in c.l.py . Repeat weekly. After a couple of months,
you'll have something that could make a real difference.

-- 
Gareth McCaughan  Gareth.McCaughan at pobox.com
sig under construction