Python's popularity

[Luis M. González]

On Dec 22, 3:44 pm, r <rt8... at gmail.com> wrote:
> Steve Holden
>
> > What makes you assume this is a zero-sum game, and that Python won't
> > survive if any other language becomes popular. Every language borrows
> > from those that came before it. Terms like "outright plagiarism" don't
> > encourage rational debate, and make you seem like a troll who is more
> > interested in stirring up controversy than actually doing things to help
> > promote the language.
>
> This is a war Steve, and i will explain why. Python does not need to
> compete with perl, lisp, C, basic, etc, etc. WHY, well because python
> is SO radically different than those languages. Ruby on the other
> hand, took most from python, the only difference is Ruby's full OO
> integration.(12.method()). Since Ruby is so similar to python we must
> consider that some people who would have found only python in this
> niche now could go to Ruby. I am for choices, but this is out and out
> robbery!
> Of course we must stand on the shoulders of greater minds than our own
> to get ahead, but using someone's knowledge against them is wrong. If
> Ruby want's to incorporate so many Pythonian ideas into their
> language, at least put a note in the tutorial giving credit to Guido
> for his wisdom. Don't use our ideas and then bash python in the next
> breath!
>
> > I have an article about the Zen coming up in "Python Magazine" so I
> > won't steal its thunder. Suffice it to say that people take the Zen far
> > too seriously. Anyone who does so undermines their own credibility as a
> > Python commentator. This isn't a war. Stop being childish.
>
> I was speaking to the loyalty of Pythonista's. Of course we are not
> really going to slay mats, come on Steve, get real!
>
> > If all you want from a language is speed, go use C. I would avoid
> > assembly language though, since a modern optimizing C compiler will
> > often beat an assembly language programmer for execution speed, and the
> > programming time will definitely be shorter. But to make speed the
> > be-all and end-all is a witless approach. Speed is definitely not why
> > dynamic languages' popularity is increasing. Speed *is* still relevant
> > in certain areas, and completely irrelevant in others.
>
> Come on Steve, i am NOT saying speed is the only thing that matters
> here! But it is very important. I never compared Python to C, that is
> madness. But it must be better, faster, smarter than it's direct
> competition(ruby)... you agree??
>
> > Much more of this kind of tripe and nobody will read what you write
> > anyway. You will hear the plonking of a hundred thousand newsreaders
> > every time you post.
>
> Oh Steve... Listen, my words are ment as a wake-up-call to all who
> still love Python, and i believe you are one of them. Maybe old age
> has slowed your hand, that's OK, Us "youngsters" will take the helm.
> And be serious, do you really think this group is read by "hundreds-of-
> thousands of news readers? I wish it were, but I highly doubt it.

Dude, calm down... There is no war here.
Please turn off your computer, go take a walk for awhile, experience
some real life in the outer world, and then think about this again.
Python is cool language, Ruby too. We are all happy and competition is
good.
Nobody will win this "war" and the loser won't be annihilated. I hope
there will be some healthy cross-pollination.
There is actually, for example python borrowed list-comprehensions
from haskell and I've never heard any haskell fan calling for jihad.

Did you know that people are looking forward to use pypy to create a
fast ruby implementation?
Pypy is being developed by python developers and they will be happy to
see a ruby, perl, logo or whatever language implemented with pypy. We
are talking about tools, not religions.
Those who use them to create useful, real life applications know it.

Soon, we will be able to use python libraries from ruby and the other
way around. the differences will be just a matter of taste, different
syntax to achieve the same tasks.

Luis