4 ms·

> because it's an "amateur" language Python was an amateur language until it was not.

pritambarhate 3y ago
Yes and Python (released in 1991) took a lot more time to become popular compared to Java (released in 1995) which was corporate backed. Python still seems to have funding issues. For example, JS (backed by multiple big corporations) performance has improved a lot compared to Python. The main Python implementation doesn't have a proper JIT as far as I know. So it shows the difference between amateur languages and corporate backed languages.
- hgs3 3y ago
  > Yes and Python (released in 1991) took a lot more time to become popular compared to Java (released in 1995) which was corporate backed. Being corporate backed is the real answer. Languages that became popular through grassroots support are the exception, not the rule.
capableweb 3y ago
Even Rust started as a "amateur" language until it was picked up by Rust. Nothing is saying that Crystal won't be picked up just like Rust was, by some company.
- Iwan-Zotow 3y ago
  > Even Rust started as a "amateur" language until it was picked up by Rust ?!?
  - mega-tux 3y ago
    Mozilla maybe?
    - capableweb 3y ago
      What a brain fart. Yeah, I meant "picked up by Mozilla", thanks :)
chubot 3y ago
This isn't quite true. Python was certainly Guido's passion project, and it started that way. But early in its life, it was funded by the United States government via CNRI (under Bob Kahn). At every job Guido had subsequently, he had at least some buy-in to work on Python, and some coworkers were also paid to work on Python. There was a core "PythonLabs" group (I think including Jeremy Hylton?) that apparently moved from CNRI to the a startup BeOpen: https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102738761 https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/10273876... (I watched this whole video, there's also a couple Lex Fridman videos) At Google from 2005 to ~2014, Guido nominally had 50% of his time to work on CPython, but that's pretty fuzzy because he was really productive in any case. (I was his officemate for a couple years during that time.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Python https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Python

Yes and Python (released in 1991) took a lot more time to become popular compared to Java (released in 1995) which was corporate backed. Python still seems to have funding issues. For example, JS (backed by multiple big corporations) performance has improved a lot compared to Python. The main Python implementation doesn't have a proper JIT as far as I know. So it shows the difference between amateur languages and corporate backed languages.

hgs3 3y ago
> Yes and Python (released in 1991) took a lot more time to become popular compared to Java (released in 1995) which was corporate backed. Being corporate backed is the real answer. Languages that became popular through grassroots support are the exception, not the rule.

capableweb 3y ago

Even Rust started as a "amateur" language until it was picked up by Rust. Nothing is saying that Crystal won't be picked up just like Rust was, by some company.

Iwan-Zotow 3y ago
> Even Rust started as a "amateur" language until it was picked up by Rust ?!?
- mega-tux 3y ago
  Mozilla maybe?
  - capableweb 3y ago
    What a brain fart. Yeah, I meant "picked up by Mozilla", thanks :)

chubot 3y ago

This isn't quite true. Python was certainly Guido's passion project, and it started that way. But early in its life, it was funded by the United States government via CNRI (under Bob Kahn). At every job Guido had subsequently, he had at least some buy-in to work on Python, and some coworkers were also paid to work on Python. There was a core "PythonLabs" group (I think including Jeremy Hylton?) that apparently moved from CNRI to the a startup BeOpen: https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102738761 https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/10273876... (I watched this whole video, there's also a couple Lex Fridman videos) At Google from 2005 to ~2014, Guido nominally had 50% of his time to work on CPython, but that's pretty fuzzy because he was really productive in any case. (I was his officemate for a couple years during that time.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Python https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Python