Does Python compete with Java?

[Maurice LING]

I understand what you are trying to get at. In my mind, the 
"competition" between languages had existed since the 1st day I wrote 
Hello World in QBasic. Maybe there are two types of computer guys in 
this world, those that learn the minimal and those that learn as much as 
possible. I think I belong to the latter group even though I'm a 
molecular biologist/bioinformaticist by trainings. Simplicity in syntax 
is Python's strength to cater for the former group. Another thing that 
can be done is to improve the libraries. In this world of 3000 
programming languages, what makes Python worth learning?

Personally, I do wish to see that Python AND Java becomes mainstream, 
although the latter has. A "marketing" strength which wasn't quite 
tapped into is universities. If Python is taught in universities, then 
it isn't tough to become mainstream. That's how mysql got so popular, or 
at least I think that's how. Python enforces good programming 
techniques, such as, readability. Yet, themes as such are taught in C, 
perhaps one of the most unreadable language. Trying to debug a badly 
indented C program is a horror, not to mention people do write a 
recursive function in a single line!!

Maurice

Peter Hansen wrote:
> Maurice LING wrote:
> 
>> A. Lloyd Flanagan wrote:
>>
>>> Dave Benjamin <ramen at lackingtalent.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Over the long term, I think Python's biggest key to success will be 
>>>> that we will still be able to read the programs that we are writing 
>>>> now.
>>>
>>>
>>> No argument here :)
>>
>>
>> I don't quite understand, does Python have to compete with Java? In 
>> many cases, the programming language used to write an application 
>> almost has no relevance to the acceptance of the application. 
> 
> 
> That's not the whole picture though.  One would also like to be able
> to easily find programmers capable of working very effectively with
> the language, so that maintenance can be performed, and enhancements,
> and new projects using the same language.
> 
> This "competition" he's talking about is not really going on in the
> users' minds, but in the developers' minds.  Imagine how difficult it
> would be to get anywhere with projects if there were so many popular
> languages that the odds of a given developer knowing your language
> were, say, less than 2%...
> 
>> What I see is that Python and Java can be synergistically linked, for 
>> example, through Jython, can be more constructive than competition...
> 
> 
> That is yet another of Python's strengths. ;-)
> 
> -Peter