5 ms·

I think the main reason is because Google uses Python, so many of the top programmers learn it.

by vaksel 16y ago

chc 16y ago
This is the real reason AFAICT. Anybody who tries to pin it on Python's obvious superiority to Ruby is just not paying attention. They're not the same, but not so different that one has a clear advantage over another in most people's minds.
- swolchok 16y ago
  Speaking as a Python person who recently had to dig through a Ruby project, I can see why people like Ruby and RoR (lack of explicit return statements make your code look functional, lack of parens makes your code look minimal, it's nice to have "unless"), but it is not for me. (I will not go into Ruby's disadvantages nor direct language comparison because I don't want this thread to devolve into a language flamewar.)
  - chc 16y ago
    Oh, absolutely. I'm much the same, only leaning toward Ruby's side. What I mean is that the differences are very much matters of taste — they both have warts, but neither so glaring that it makes the language obviously worse. To an impartial observer (i.e. sonebody who is looking from outside and hasn't "bought into" either language or its philosophy), they look very similar, because they are.
beambot 16y ago
Personally, I attribute its use (at least in science / engineering) to the numpy, scipy, matplotlib combo. It makes prototyping fast, flexible, and rivals (surpasses IMO) Matlab.
- daniel02216 16y ago
  Anything is better than Matlab.
  - hugh3 16y ago
    Spoken like someone who hasn't written nearly enough Fortran.
    - trustfundbaby 16y ago
      .. or COBOL
- sunqiang 16y ago
  and IPython, it's a import part of NumPy/SciPy/MatplotLib family, offers a great many convenience features, such as tab-completion of python functions and a good help system. not to mention the new ZeroMQ messaging design(http://ipython.scipy.org/doc/nightly/html/development/messaging.html http://ipython.scipy.org/doc/nightly/html/development/messag...).
alextingle 16y ago
I disagree. I use Python because when I was forced reluctantly to use it, I found that I already knew it! I was simply amazed how far I could get by simply guessing the syntax. "import flight" indeed. That was all long before Google started to aggressively adopt it.

I think the main reason is because Google uses Python, so many of the top programmers learn it.

by vaksel 16y ago

I think the main reason is because Google uses Python, so many of the top programmers learn it.

chc 16y ago

This is the real reason AFAICT. Anybody who tries to pin it on Python's obvious superiority to Ruby is just not paying attention. They're not the same, but not so different that one has a clear advantage over another in most people's minds.

swolchok 16y ago
Speaking as a Python person who recently had to dig through a Ruby project, I can see why people like Ruby and RoR (lack of explicit return statements make your code look functional, lack of parens makes your code look minimal, it's nice to have "unless"), but it is not for me. (I will not go into Ruby's disadvantages nor direct language comparison because I don't want this thread to devolve into a language flamewar.)
- chc 16y ago
  Oh, absolutely. I'm much the same, only leaning toward Ruby's side. What I mean is that the differences are very much matters of taste — they both have warts, but neither so glaring that it makes the language obviously worse. To an impartial observer (i.e. sonebody who is looking from outside and hasn't "bought into" either language or its philosophy), they look very similar, because they are.

beambot 16y ago

Personally, I attribute its use (at least in science / engineering) to the numpy, scipy, matplotlib combo. It makes prototyping fast, flexible, and rivals (surpasses IMO) Matlab.

daniel02216 16y ago
Anything is better than Matlab.
- hugh3 16y ago
  Spoken like someone who hasn't written nearly enough Fortran.
  - trustfundbaby 16y ago
    .. or COBOL
sunqiang 16y ago
and IPython, it's a import part of NumPy/SciPy/MatplotLib family, offers a great many convenience features, such as tab-completion of python functions and a good help system. not to mention the new ZeroMQ messaging design(http://ipython.scipy.org/doc/nightly/html/development/messaging.html http://ipython.scipy.org/doc/nightly/html/development/messag...).

alextingle 16y ago

I disagree. I use Python because when I was forced reluctantly to use it, I found that I already knew it! I was simply amazed how far I could get by simply guessing the syntax. "import flight" indeed. That was all long before Google started to aggressively adopt it.