age of Python programmers

[Alan Gauld]

> Lucas Raab wrote:
> > One thing I've always kind of wondered is what is the average age of a
> > Python programmer?? What age groups use Python?? Something to think
> > about....

OK, I'll play...

I'm 46, started programming in 74 in BASIC (dunno what machine,
it was located at the local university and we downloaded the
programs from a teletype over a modem(120 baud) and got back
printouts 3 days later...)

Next I encountered the Sinclair ZX81 in 1981 (Timex in the USA)
where I wrote my first stock control application for a friend's
business!

In 1982 I started entering patches to a Marconi Telex switch in
Coral via a BBC Micro running a terminal emulator. I only
realised that later, I actually thought I was programming 
the BBC at the time!! :-)

Then in 1984 I got formal training in Pascal, Assembler, C, Lisp
and Smalltalk. I've been a software engineer ever since and came
across Python in 1997 when a colleague pointed me at it after I
complained about the Perl syntax I was using to write a CGI
script.

I now use Python mainly for prototyping design ideas and
exploring the interfaces of our networked server applications
before writing specs for our offshore programmers to write in C++
or Java.

Alan G.
Author of the Learn to Program website
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld