5 ms·

Why Python Is The Most Powerful Programming Language For Web Applications

15 points by mjhea0 13y ago

untitaker_ 13y ago
I can't imagine how many times it has been already said, but here goes anyway: Use the tool that suits your needs. Python might be a good start, but don't stick to it just because articles like this claim it's the best.
11thEarlOfMar 13y ago
I'd much rather see specific comparisons to other choices, rather than generalizations pointing out the strengths of the language. Why and when, specifically, is Python preferred to C# for web apps? Why and when is it preferred to Ruby? How can we be sure it is not just 'trendy'? Is it common because there is a larger economic force behind it, like C# is only on the list because it is Microsoft's?
- rozap 13y ago
  Not sure I'd call Python "trendy". It has been around for a while, it's massively popular, and it's used at scale. Python is a very mature language.
mathattack 13y ago
I find readability and reuse to be very underrated. Even if it's an imperfect tool for many things, if the code is easy to maintain and update, you can overlook other flaws.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
yapcguy 13y ago
Useless article. Don't waste your time. Should have stuck to my rule of avoiding blog posts which claim a certain thing is "the most powerful".
kookster 13y ago
Nice hyperbolic headline followed by generally known information that fails to prove your thesis; yeah for click bait! Did you consider defining 'powerful', or was it just a good word for a headline (the only place the word appears in the article)? I happen to really like Python; this doesn't do it justice, and ignores the value of the great Python community.
anonyfox 13y ago
You can almost completely substitute "python" with "ruby" here. (not sure about the amiga part, though). Or, how about Javascript? Every common desktop, smartphone, tablet and so on has at least one JS runtime preinstalled (the browser), node,js kicks ass on the server side, and even databases "speak" javascript, like MongoDB. Oh, and JS can be used through OOP and Functional Programming as Well, not to mention several meta-languages ontop of JS, like Coffeescript, Livescript, Typescript, ... . No offense, but the "strong points" of python are pointless as of today's standards. Even the old "LAMP" Stack is fading away more and more.
mekoka 13y ago
I love Python and would agree that it's been a boon to work with it for web stuff, but this type of articles, with their provoking titles are doing the language and the community a disservice.
arms 13y ago
I love Python, but skip this 'article'. It's poorly written and offers nothing to the reader.
aidanf 13y ago
This article looks like linkbait, and poorly written linkbait at that. There's very little of substance in it, and nothing in the way of comparison with other languages that might alternatively be used. For example, consider the paragraph headed "Python is a dynamic language". "One of the reasons why Python has grown in popularity is because it is a highly robust programming language. Python includes a large variety of classes and data types in addition to the interactive and object oriented nature of the language." "It also incorporates dynamic typing, modules and exceptions making the Python language an ideal way to create innovative solutions within the same operation." This doesn't really say anything, in fact some of it doesn't even make sense. What does "includes a large variety of classes" even mean? As for having "a large variety of... data-types", pretty much any language you might consider as an alternative to python for web programming will be able to match it in terms of data-types. I don't want to be snarky, but this article seems way below the quality threshold of what I would expect/hope to see on HN.
- tmikaeld 13y ago
  +1, my thoughts exactly - read it just out of curiosity, i bet the linkbaiter got his traffic though...

15 points by mjhea0 13y ago

I can't imagine how many times it has been already said, but here goes anyway: Use the tool that suits your needs. Python might be a good start, but don't stick to it just because articles like this claim it's the best.

11thEarlOfMar 13y ago

I'd much rather see specific comparisons to other choices, rather than generalizations pointing out the strengths of the language. Why and when, specifically, is Python preferred to C# for web apps? Why and when is it preferred to Ruby? How can we be sure it is not just 'trendy'? Is it common because there is a larger economic force behind it, like C# is only on the list because it is Microsoft's?

rozap 13y ago
Not sure I'd call Python "trendy". It has been around for a while, it's massively popular, and it's used at scale. Python is a very mature language.

mathattack 13y ago

I find readability and reuse to be very underrated. Even if it's an imperfect tool for many things, if the code is easy to maintain and update, you can overlook other flaws.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

yapcguy 13y ago

Useless article. Don't waste your time. Should have stuck to my rule of avoiding blog posts which claim a certain thing is "the most powerful".

kookster 13y ago

Nice hyperbolic headline followed by generally known information that fails to prove your thesis; yeah for click bait! Did you consider defining 'powerful', or was it just a good word for a headline (the only place the word appears in the article)? I happen to really like Python; this doesn't do it justice, and ignores the value of the great Python community.

anonyfox 13y ago

You can almost completely substitute "python" with "ruby" here. (not sure about the amiga part, though). Or, how about Javascript? Every common desktop, smartphone, tablet and so on has at least one JS runtime preinstalled (the browser), node,js kicks ass on the server side, and even databases "speak" javascript, like MongoDB. Oh, and JS can be used through OOP and Functional Programming as Well, not to mention several meta-languages ontop of JS, like Coffeescript, Livescript, Typescript, ... . No offense, but the "strong points" of python are pointless as of today's standards. Even the old "LAMP" Stack is fading away more and more.

mekoka 13y ago

I love Python and would agree that it's been a boon to work with it for web stuff, but this type of articles, with their provoking titles are doing the language and the community a disservice.

arms 13y ago

I love Python, but skip this 'article'. It's poorly written and offers nothing to the reader.

aidanf 13y ago

This article looks like linkbait, and poorly written linkbait at that. There's very little of substance in it, and nothing in the way of comparison with other languages that might alternatively be used. For example, consider the paragraph headed "Python is a dynamic language". "One of the reasons why Python has grown in popularity is because it is a highly robust programming language. Python includes a large variety of classes and data types in addition to the interactive and object oriented nature of the language." "It also incorporates dynamic typing, modules and exceptions making the Python language an ideal way to create innovative solutions within the same operation." This doesn't really say anything, in fact some of it doesn't even make sense. What does "includes a large variety of classes" even mean? As for having "a large variety of... data-types", pretty much any language you might consider as an alternative to python for web programming will be able to match it in terms of data-types. I don't want to be snarky, but this article seems way below the quality threshold of what I would expect/hope to see on HN.

tmikaeld 13y ago
+1, my thoughts exactly - read it just out of curiosity, i bet the linkbaiter got his traffic though...