Does Python compete with Java?

["Martin v. Löwis"]

kk wrote:
> I'd like to know if you guys think Python really has a chance to
> compete with Java, .NET, and any other commercially backed language.

Python, by nature, does not compete: it is a product, and only
producers of a product can compete with producers of other products;
products never ever compete with one another (a product has no soul,
and no goal).

Whether the makers of Python compete with the makers of Java or
.NET is an interesting question, and one that is difficult to answer.
The makers of Python a free software developers, many of them
volunteers. The maker of Java is Sun Microsystems, the maker of
.NET is Microsoft. The Python makers have very different motivations,
and for some of them, competing with Sun may be a motivation - others
could not care less.

The same holds for the users: Some users of Python compete with
some users of Java, whereas others don't. This continues into education:
authors of Python books typically compete with authors of Java books,
except for authors of the Python tutorial, which likely don't compete
with anybody (except perhaps that authors of Python books have to
compete with the authors of the Python tutorial and other free
online documentation).

The mission of the Python Software Foundation is (among others), to
publicize, promote the adoption of, and facilitate the ongoing 
development of Python-related technology and educational resources.
Whether or not that makes the PSF a competitor of Sun Microsystems,
I don't know.

> The reason I ask is I think it is important to have a "popular"
> well-supported Open Source language to compete with the big players. 

Why is that important?

> PHP seems to have some momentum in popularity, but I much prefer
> Python as a language.  Python has much to offer over Java, VB, etc...
> Maybe the best chance it has is to ride on the coat-tails of .NET
> (Python.NET) and the JVM (Jython).

If Python works for you, just go ahead and use it. Consider all
advantages and risks, and weigh for yourself.

Regards,
Martin