The Python Paradox (2004) • Hacker News Board

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#11

Post by stubish » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 4:54 AM UTC

john-tells-all wrote: post #2

(2004) It calls Python "esoteric"! :-D I agree with the sentiment even if the example given hasn't aged well.

I too tend to agree with the sentiment. What isn't mentioned though is that is quite possible to run out of people to hire. Which mostly happened to us, where we had grown and everyone in the relatively small Python community who could and would work for us was working or had worked. We had to move on to another new language (Go), although that did rub a number of the Pythonistas the wrong way.

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#12

Post by TeeMassive » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 4:55 AM UTC

The complement to this paradox is the Linus Torvalds C++ rant http://harmful.cat-v.org/software/c++/linus

> C++ is a horrible language. It's made more horrible by the fact that a lot of substandard programmers use it, to the point where it's much much easier to generate total and utter crap with it. Quite frankly, even if the choice of C were to do nothing but keep the C++ programmers out, that in itself would be a huge reason to use C.

> In other words: the choice of C is the only sane choice. I know Miles Bader jokingly said "to piss you off", but it's actually true. I've come to the conclusion that any programmer that would prefer the project to be in C++ over C is likely a programmer that I really would prefer to piss off, so that he doesn't come and screw up any project I'm involved with.

Oh Linus...

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#13

Post by drewcoo » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 4:57 AM UTC

2004.

Almost 20 years ago. Was Python even a teen?

Python does not attract smart young iconoclasts anymore. It's the scripting language everyone writes because everyone writes Python.

What languages do attract smart young iconoclasts? Nim? Elm? Whatever you're doing that is not yet old enough to drink by the time you comment?

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#14

Post by anonu » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 4:59 AM UTC

Python is a glue language. If you want to be hardcore you write something in rust (or whatever) with python bindings...

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#15

Post by tgma » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 5:03 AM UTC

Yaron Minsky of Jane Street said the same thing about OCaml

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#16

Post by ninjaa » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 5:04 AM UTC

UPDATE: I realize this is a repost from 2004. Still worth exorcizing dead links since content is still relevant

What's up with the Turkish and Japanese translation links not working?

Are they just dead cos they rotted? I've been working on my own multilingual site upgrade lol so my mind is on this

@PG to future proof consider using archive.org's wayback machine for essential links like translations, shld hopefully be straightforward to roll into your blog software

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#17

Post by ninjaa » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 5:04 AM UTC

ninjaa wrote: post #16

UPDATE: I realize this is a repost from 2004. Still worth exorcizing dead links since content is still relevant What's up with the Turkish and Japanese translation links not working? Are they just dead cos they rotted? I've been working on my own multilingual site upgrade lol so my mind is on this @PG to future proof consider using archive.org's wayback machine for essential links like translations, shld hopefully be…

NB did not bother trying the others

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#18

Post by raister » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 5:07 AM UTC

When organisations were asked "Which languages and platforms in your application portfolio have been the greatest source of risk or exposure to your organization?" in the SANS Institute "A SANS Survey: Rethiking the Sec in DevSecOps: Security as Code", security officers mention Python 29.4% of the time (first of the list - they can choose up to three languages - dated 2021).

My question is: when will Python be seen as "risk or exposure 'free'" in the near future?

Edit: small typo

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#19

Post by treeform » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 5:07 AM UTC

drewcoo wrote: post #13

2004. Almost 20 years ago. Was Python even a teen? Python does not attract smart young iconoclasts anymore. It's the scripting language everyone writes because everyone writes Python. What languages do attract smart young iconoclasts? Nim? Elm? Whatever you're doing that is not yet old enough to drink by the time you comment?

My vote is on Nim. Python like syntax with C++ speed. Unknown enough, but still not too new or obscure.

Re: The Python Paradox (2004)

#20

Post by number6 » Fri, Jan 27, 2023, 5:12 AM UTC

drewcoo wrote: post #13

2004. Almost 20 years ago. Was Python even a teen? Python does not attract smart young iconoclasts anymore. It's the scripting language everyone writes because everyone writes Python. What languages do attract smart young iconoclasts? Nim? Elm? Whatever you're doing that is not yet old enough to drink by the time you comment?

I am old.