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I think that's a very significant question. I would guess that 50%+ of Python users don't use Python 3, and thus would be counted as anti-Python-3, if not for t

by comicjk 13y ago

I think that's a very significant question. I would guess that 50%+ of Python users don't use Python 3, and thus would be counted as anti-Python-3, if not for that question which allows them to say "I don't think Python 3 is inherently a bad idea." It would be nice if the question were more specific and more positive, but the survey would be worse if it were simply taken out.

reuven 13y ago
It's way way way higher than 50%, if my sample is accurate. I've been teaching Python in China, Europe, Israel, and the US for years. In the last four years alone, I've taught about 2-3 Python courses (usually intro, but sometimes advanced or on specific topics) each month, at companies like Apple, Cisco, Intel, and SANDisk. In only one case did a company ask me to teach them Python 3. The rest of them ask specifically for Python 2. In some, more advanced and unusual cases, they ask me to describe the changes that will happen in Python 3. They all have legacy code in Python 2 that they cannot imagine upgrading, mostly because there are libraries (internal or external) holding them back -- and the benefits aren't obvious. (I should note that almost none of my courses are at startups. So it's quite possible that I'm seeing a sample of large companies, which are inherently more conservative than smaller ones.) I thought that the survey was fine. But really, there's a problem in the whole Python 2/3 split, and while I've convinced myself over the years that people are switching, I've rarely met any of them. Which is really too bad.
- kremlin 13y ago
  Being a newbie at Python myself and seeing how much the Python devs are trying to get people using Python 3, I was initially planning on just using Python 3 for all my Python coding. That was until I realized how many libraries exist only for Python 2.
njharman 13y ago
Why not the question "Is staying on Python 2.x a mistake?" The whole survey is bunk. Too much misinformation and misbeliefs regarding Python 3. The only valid informed answers would be from those who've used (or used and failed) >= Py3.3 for something significant.
- dded 13y ago
  I agree that the survey is poor, but it is not bunk. It should have had more questions attempting to discover why those who don't adopt Python3 don't. Then, if a major problem turns out to be misinformation, it could be addressed with evangelism. If a problem is a shortcoming of Python3, that shortcoming could be addressed. Etc.

by comicjk 13y ago

reuven 13y ago

It's way way way higher than 50%, if my sample is accurate. I've been teaching Python in China, Europe, Israel, and the US for years. In the last four years alone, I've taught about 2-3 Python courses (usually intro, but sometimes advanced or on specific topics) each month, at companies like Apple, Cisco, Intel, and SANDisk. In only one case did a company ask me to teach them Python 3. The rest of them ask specifically for Python 2. In some, more advanced and unusual cases, they ask me to describe the changes that will happen in Python 3. They all have legacy code in Python 2 that they cannot imagine upgrading, mostly because there are libraries (internal or external) holding them back -- and the benefits aren't obvious. (I should note that almost none of my courses are at startups. So it's quite possible that I'm seeing a sample of large companies, which are inherently more conservative than smaller ones.) I thought that the survey was fine. But really, there's a problem in the whole Python 2/3 split, and while I've convinced myself over the years that people are switching, I've rarely met any of them. Which is really too bad.

kremlin 13y ago
Being a newbie at Python myself and seeing how much the Python devs are trying to get people using Python 3, I was initially planning on just using Python 3 for all my Python coding. That was until I realized how many libraries exist only for Python 2.

njharman 13y ago

Why not the question "Is staying on Python 2.x a mistake?" The whole survey is bunk. Too much misinformation and misbeliefs regarding Python 3. The only valid informed answers would be from those who've used (or used and failed) >= Py3.3 for something significant.

dded 13y ago
I agree that the survey is poor, but it is not bunk. It should have had more questions attempting to discover why those who don't adopt Python3 don't. Then, if a major problem turns out to be misinformation, it could be addressed with evangelism. If a problem is a shortcoming of Python3, that shortcoming could be addressed. Etc.