P*rl in Latin, whither Python?

[Peter Hansen]

Alex Martelli wrote:
> 
> "Peter Hansen" <peter at engcorp.com> wrote:
> > Esperantists).  There are subcultures of almost every kind in the
> > Esperanto community.  (I suppose I'm not sure whether you call some of
> > these things competitive advantages, or some kind of localized network
> > effects, but one way or the other, it survives and slowly grows.)
> 
> I'd frame these as network-effects -- they are advantages flowing
> from the fact that there ARE other users of the same "technology"
> (cooperating among themselves in the ways you indicate), rather
> than a 'competition' against non-users of the 'technology'.  The
> latter might hypothetically emerge if, as I suggested, some
> multinational corporation adopted Esperanto rather than English
> for internal communication, for example.

I suppose that, unlike a computer language which can provide significant
benefits even to a single individual regardless of whether others use it
(Charles Moore comes, half-humorously, to mind), and thus demonstrates
competitive advantages, in almost all cases a human language provides
purely network-effects *within* a group.  The competitive advantage
arises only when considering the multinational corporation as a single
entity in comparison to other such entities.

The only instance which comes to mind of a human deriving competitive
advantage from solitary use of a 'human language' is that of Da Vinci,
and his cryptic left-handed reverse chicken scratch writing which
apparently served to prevent others from easily deciphering his notes...

So what was comp.lang.python about, again? :)

-- 
Peter Hansen