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Python has often been called an easy to learn language and a good first start because it tries to be easy to read. Does that mean that it is also a beginner's

by herge 14y ago

Python has often been called an easy to learn language and a good first start because it tries to be easy to read. Does that mean that it is also a beginner's language that people eventually are supposed to move on from?

TylerE 14y ago
The difference is that Python is actually a designed language, rather than an unholy congealed mass.
spdy 14y ago
People who pickup Python will always stay and never move on completely. My programming carear startet with perl -> php -> python and i found one holy grail to solve most of my problems. Python had an easy entry point the same as PHP but when you jumped over the first learning curve and discovered the complete ecosystem it`s mindblowing. I never had that feeling with PHP you could do websites and thats it. And most of the time it gets a mess real quick. PHP will slowly phase out over the next decade.
- jspthrowaway2 14y ago
  > People who pickup Python will always stay and never move on completely. To be blunt, that's not universally true. I've moved on to Go, with an eye for more functional languages this year. Python is great, but it's not the last language.
- VMG 14y ago
  I picked up Python and am now using Node/CoffeScript for web dev. I'll probably transition to Clojure in the future and I'll try Haskell after that. > PHP will slowly phase out over the next decade. Wanna bet on it?
- cowboyhero 14y ago
  > PHP will slowly phase out over the next decade. Wordpress. It's become a full blown CMS and its own platform. Half the media sites out there are running it, or hosting with Wordpress Pro. Then there's a horde of casual bloggers managing their own installs. Granted, there's movement away from this kind of publishing model(Facebook, Twitter, G+), but as long as Wordpress is still the go to, "set it and forget it" app on $5 webhosts, PHP will not die.
- fusiongyro 14y ago
  Python was my first language. Haskell is my #1 language right now, and I do Java professionally. There have been many between. It's a nice language, but it's not for everyone.
FredFredrickson 14y ago
This is one of the points I always try to make with other tools... if you can do what you want with it, and it suits the needs of your project, you don't need to "move on" to something else. Sure, it's good to keep your mind open, investigate other possibilities, and keep your eyes forward... but if you're able to draw the pictures you want and like, it doesn't matter if you're using crayons or oil paints.
saraid216 14y ago
Except that Guido never said that Python is meant only for a "random Joe" to "whip up" a script when "he's in a DIY mindset". ETA: In fact, compare: http://www.python.org/about/ http://www.python.org/about/ http://php.net/manual/en/preface.php http://php.net/manual/en/preface.php

by herge 14y ago

TylerE 14y ago

The difference is that Python is actually a designed language, rather than an unholy congealed mass.

spdy 14y ago

People who pickup Python will always stay and never move on completely. My programming carear startet with perl -> php -> python and i found one holy grail to solve most of my problems. Python had an easy entry point the same as PHP but when you jumped over the first learning curve and discovered the complete ecosystem it`s mindblowing. I never had that feeling with PHP you could do websites and thats it. And most of the time it gets a mess real quick. PHP will slowly phase out over the next decade.

jspthrowaway2 14y ago
> People who pickup Python will always stay and never move on completely. To be blunt, that's not universally true. I've moved on to Go, with an eye for more functional languages this year. Python is great, but it's not the last language.
VMG 14y ago
I picked up Python and am now using Node/CoffeScript for web dev. I'll probably transition to Clojure in the future and I'll try Haskell after that. > PHP will slowly phase out over the next decade. Wanna bet on it?
cowboyhero 14y ago
> PHP will slowly phase out over the next decade. Wordpress. It's become a full blown CMS and its own platform. Half the media sites out there are running it, or hosting with Wordpress Pro. Then there's a horde of casual bloggers managing their own installs. Granted, there's movement away from this kind of publishing model(Facebook, Twitter, G+), but as long as Wordpress is still the go to, "set it and forget it" app on $5 webhosts, PHP will not die.
fusiongyro 14y ago
Python was my first language. Haskell is my #1 language right now, and I do Java professionally. There have been many between. It's a nice language, but it's not for everyone.

FredFredrickson 14y ago

This is one of the points I always try to make with other tools... if you can do what you want with it, and it suits the needs of your project, you don't need to "move on" to something else. Sure, it's good to keep your mind open, investigate other possibilities, and keep your eyes forward... but if you're able to draw the pictures you want and like, it doesn't matter if you're using crayons or oil paints.

saraid216 14y ago

Except that Guido never said that Python is meant only for a "random Joe" to "whip up" a script when "he's in a DIY mindset". ETA: In fact, compare: http://www.python.org/about/ http://www.python.org/about/ http://php.net/manual/en/preface.php http://php.net/manual/en/preface.php