To say that dynamic typing is dumb is rather misguided. I mean you may not like it, but it is very powerful, and a lot of languages are based on this principle

To say that dynamic typing is dumb is rather misguided. I mean you may not like it, but it is very powerful, and a lot of languages are based on this principle (not just python and ruby). The argument that there are hundreds of bugs because of it does not mean anything - you make the wrong assumption that everyhing else is equal. Of course, if dynamic typing was only about not checking types, it would be dumb. But it also gives you flexibility and avoids a lot whole lot of other kind of bugs, so you are trading one kind of bugs with another kind. For me, complaining about dynamic typing is like saying that exception cause a lot of bugs compared to error codes, because your application crashes if you don't catch exception. It is true in some sense, but the argument is rather stupid. As for memory consumption: running an application in 64 bits, even if programmed in C, often requires much more memory, at least statistically speaking and in my experience. For example, running a simple ubuntu desktop in 64 bits takes easily 50 % more memory than in 32 bits (and it is not because of python :) ). Int, floating points are indeed the same, but structures, pointers and alignement requirements almost inherently increase memory in a significant way.