Python was pragmatic and adopted changes that numpy needed and advocated for. Maybe Julia is the only other worthy comparison? Also, dynamic typing is a boon -

Python was pragmatic and adopted changes that numpy needed and advocated for. Maybe Julia is the only other worthy comparison? Also, dynamic typing is a boon - and default & keyword arguments is a great feature for complicated, versatile, useful algorithm implementations and interfaces to them. Both of these features have a cost in bigger programs, but they really make Python stand out.