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That is true in the sense that the fundamental algorithms and data structures and so on are maths and maths doesn't change. But the vast majority of them are a
by gaius 10y ago
That is true in the sense that the fundamental algorithms and data structures and so on are maths and maths doesn't change.
But the vast majority of them are available in Python libraries, and if you need something right now say a library interfacing to a particular DB or protocol, there is a very high probability that in Python you can pip it in a minute and it will basically work, vs having to do it yourself in Lisp - and it's not cool fun stuff like a new algorithm, it's dull boring work of reverse engineering and hacking around the bugs in someone else's product, and Lisp doesn't give you any leverage there.
- brudgers 10y agoArchitecturally, how often is there a slam dunk engineering case that the core business logic should handle an obscure protocol or oddball database directly rather than abstracting over the requirements and leaving the implementation details to another layer in the stack? While Python is not Javascript, 'pip what?' For SQL: https://pypi.python.org/pypi?%3Aaction=search&term=sql&submit=search https://pypi.python.org/pypi?%3Aaction=search&term=sql&submi... For RabbitMQ?: https://pypi.python.org/pypi?%3Aaction=search&term=rabbitmq&submit=search https://pypi.python.org/pypi?%3Aaction=search&term=rabbitmq&... For Hadoop?: https://pypi.python.org/pypi?%3Aaction=search&term=hadoop&submit=search https://pypi.python.org/pypi?%3Aaction=search&term=hadoop&su... Having PiP (or Quicklisp) does not so much solve the problem as transfer it to a problem in a different domain. The new problem may or may not be easier to solve than the original one. Sometimes Nginx is a good answer. Sometimes SimpleHTTPServer is. Sometimes Sinatra. Sometimes Rails.
- gaius 10y agoSure, knowing your way around the ecosystem is a thing. But that ecosystem has to exist and be kept up to date. And you wouldn't want to hire someone who was too keen on reinventing the wheel anyway... Plus, it is a slam dunk case that most organisations will not benefit from choosing a "best" language for every project or use case and should instead settle on as few as possible... One HLL (e.g. Python or Tcl or Perl) and one low-level (C or C++) is probably the best bet for 99% of organisations.
- throwaway7645 10y agoAgreed and what I was trying to convey.