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YC Software Startups: Value and Initial Programming Language Used

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Re: YC Software Startups: Value and Initial Programming Language Used

#11

Post by reikonomusha »

hardwaregeek wrote: post #10

Reddit was Lisp for a rather short time before being rewritten in Python. Isn't the story that HN was written in Arc as a response to Reddit's Python rewrite?

I think it still definitely counts. Reddit 1.0 was Lisp, and deployed as a Lisp service. It wasn’t as if it was some hokey prototype then finally converted for showtime.

Re: YC Software Startups: Value and Initial Programming Language Used

#12

Post by jedberg »

hardwaregeek wrote: post #10

Reddit was Lisp for a rather short time before being rewritten in Python. Isn't the story that HN was written in Arc as a response to Reddit's Python rewrite?

HN was written in Arc because Paul liked Lisp and made Arc and wanted a real project to try it. It really had nothing to do with reddit's switch to Python (which as you correctly point out was in it's second year).

HN was more a response to PG wanting more moderation control over the content.

Re: YC Software Startups: Value and Initial Programming Language Used

#13

Post by jamil7 »

gumby wrote: post #5

Seems like age is a factor: ruby had its day and companies of that vintage have been around long enough for some of them to be worth bucks. Python is more perennial (over the lifetime of YC itself).

In my annecdotal experience (could be completely wrong) Python and Django are much more common for the same vintage of startups in Europe as when Ruby and Rails were popular in the USA, I don't exactly know what drove it's adoption here.

Re: YC Software Startups: Value and Initial Programming Language Used

#15

Post by jacobwilliamroy »

MidnightRaver wrote: post #7
dstick wrote: post #2

The title seems to insinuate there’s a correlation between a startup’s value and dev language. While I think our “inner geek“ all likes to think so - is that really the case?

The table very clearly shows the correlation.

Nope. Sample size too small to draw correlation.

Re: YC Software Startups: Value and Initial Programming Language Used

#17

Post by brainless »

johnny_reilly wrote: post #4

Fascinating to see how heavily Ruby and Python feature. The things that surprised me by their absence and near absence were languages I love: JS and C# That said, this is taking now well established startups that will have begun their lives 5+ years ago in general. If I was picking a back end stack then I'd probably hesitate before picking the .NET Framework. But these days I'd easily pick .NET Core. Likewise, I'd wa…

I use Python by choice and the more there is growing need for Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Data Mining, the more I can not leave Python.

I try Rust, Ruby and others on the side. But Python is just so heavily fortified now that I constantly suggest startups who are going to build non-trivial tech to select Python. Also the whole Linux, deployment, etc. space is filled with Python.

Biology, Physics, Math folks also use more Python than any other language.

Re: YC Software Startups: Value and Initial Programming Language Used

#19

Post by ezekiel68 »

Interesting that all of them which have "Y" for category "LowLv" incorporated one or more of c++, go, or rust[0]. Many which have "Y" for "DataSci" similarly use strongly typed/compiled languages (including Java). However, for general ecommerce / service-oriented offerings, there can be no dispute, given this list, whether ruby or python by themselves are up to the task.

[0] Dropbox is listed as python only, but it is well known (and documented) they have re-written key elements of their back end in rust. https://dropbox.tech/infrastructure/rewriting-the-heart-of-o...

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