Python's popularity statistics

[Peter Hansen]

Patrick W wrote:
> 
> claird at lairds.com (Cameron Laird) writes:
> 
> > NASA is only one of several organizations which employ
> > languages such as Python, Tcl, Rexx, ... in (soft)
> > real-time control of multi-million-dollar vehicles.
> 
> The functional language Erlang ( http://www.erlang.org ) was designed
> for (soft) real-time control of multi-million dollar
> telecommunications systems, and has been very successful.  It, too, is
> dynamically typed.

The project on which I've been spending most of my time for the
last three years uses Python extensively in the critical portions
of a soft real-time control system for multi-million dollar 
(and sub-hundred-thousand dollar) telecommunications systems.
We have three systems deployed at this time, with no field
problems yet traced to the use of Python.

So far, business issues unrelated to the use of Python have
been the main thing getting in the way of me calling the overall
product "very successful".  The project itself, aside from that,
has been very successful, and after two years using Python in
it, we're still on schedule, and have yet to encounter any
significant bugs.  (Okay, I'd also attribute that to the use of
XP and test-driven development, but Python plays a very key
role in our results.  It's maintainability is perhaps *the*
key reason we've managed so far, with sometimes upwards of
ten developers working simultaneously on different aspects.
I would *not* try this at home, or with a different language.)

> > "Static typing" is ... well, it's a more complex issue
> > than naive observers believe.
> 
> Indeed.

+1 to that. :)

-Peter