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Survey Results

In what ways are you using Python?

Survey period: 24 Dec 2018 to 31 Dec 2018

Evidently more Americans have Googled for Python in the last 12 months than they have for Kim Kardashian.

OptionVotes% 
Data analysis679.97
Machine learning649.52
DevOps / System administration334.91
Prototyping and/or Testing497.29
Web Development456.70
Desktop Development405.95
Other416.10
I'm not using Python48672.32
Respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer; totals may not add up to 100%



 
GeneralOn second thought Pin
Bryian Tan28-Dec-18 12:13
professionalBryian Tan28-Dec-18 12:13 
GeneralNo reason to Pin
den2k8826-Dec-18 3:58
professionalden2k8826-Dec-18 3:58 
GeneralVersioning madness Pin
Nathan Minier26-Dec-18 3:07
professionalNathan Minier26-Dec-18 3:07 
GeneralIn its own world Pin
kalberts25-Dec-18 18:28
kalberts25-Dec-18 18:28 
My early student days was when "Snow White and the seven dwarfs" were still a computer concept. We read about one of the dwarfs, Burroughs, making machines for which Algol (a Pascal predecessor) was The Language; you were sort of required do your programming in Algol.

Now, for its time, Algol was a great language (C was no improvement over Algol!). Yet, after just having completed a compiler course, we asked: But why? Even if the machine instruction set directly supports a call stack, there is no reason not to compile even Fortran - which didn't need a stack mechanism - for it! (There was a Fortran compiler, but noone talked much about it: Burroughs was an Algol machine, and that was final!)

Since then, I have frowned at any system trying to lock me in on any one language. When I started working with dotNet, seeing how radically different languages like XAML and C# (or any other dotNet language) could define the same data objects, I loved it! That you can have pure data definition languages, with no action statements, doing all actions on those data objects in "any" other language - great! (XAML is far from my favorite data definition language - I am talking about the principle!)

And then comes Python... Linking with modules in other languages cumbersome and limited. Also, Python has its own requiements for where to place executables and libraries, how to search for them. Nothing of the run time system, or libraries, is shared with other languages. Python software is distributed through its own, python specific channels, even at run time.

Python followers have a strong tendency to insist that every end user application shall display, in the application name, the programming language used - you have pyThis and pyThat all over the place. (I never saw an application written in Fortran named forThis, or in Pascal named pasThat, or in Cobol named cobSomething. There are a few applications named cApp, but they are so few that they can't be said to be for promoting the language. But Python guys find it perfectly natural that the end user should know which programming language was used.

Does a cult stop being a cult when it grows large - when it still has all the cult properties it had when it was small? I see the Python cult as very much a cult phenomenon. Either you are in, or you are out. If you are in, you are expected to promote the ideals of the cult, in all its aspects.

For the Python language itself: I cannot point out a single technical merit of the language that gives me a reason for preferring it over strongly typed, compiled languages that can link up with modules in other languages. (It certainly doesn't have to be dotNet!)

At work, I was in a position where I could not avoid programming a fair amount of Python. I took on other kinds of work, in the DevOps direction, and got away from Python programming, but I still use at least half of my working hours fighting to get around Python's continuous attempts to squeeze out all other languages and take control over the world. Unfortunately, the number of Python evangelists are on the rise in our organization, and I cannot ignore them, but I have daily struggles with those who indirectly or sometimes direcly say: Can't you just ignore those who use other languages and create setups adapted to our wishes?

No, I can't, and I won't. For example because Python invites to lack of discipline with respect to dependencies and versions. Because the collection of hacks to make different Python versions work side by side. Because there is a mess of different ways of installation, both for packages and interpreters for various versions. I am so happy that I nowadays can stay away from touching the programming language itself. The battle with the tools is bad enough.
GeneralWhy should I use Python having C#? Pin
Néstor Sánchez Ahumada25-Dec-18 10:52
Néstor Sánchez Ahumada25-Dec-18 10:52 
GeneralRe: Why should I use Python having C#? Pin
kalberts25-Dec-18 17:38
kalberts25-Dec-18 17:38 
GeneralRe: Why should I use Python having C#? Pin
Johnny J.27-Dec-18 22:46
professionalJohnny J.27-Dec-18 22:46 
GeneralRe: Why should I use Python having C#? Pin
Néstor Sánchez Ahumada28-Dec-18 19:57
Néstor Sánchez Ahumada28-Dec-18 19:57 
GeneralI am not surprissed... Pin
Dirk Bahle25-Dec-18 10:19
Dirk Bahle25-Dec-18 10:19 
GeneralRe: I am not surprissed... Pin
W Balboos, GHB26-Dec-18 1:50
W Balboos, GHB26-Dec-18 1:50 
GeneralRe: I am not surprissed... Pin
Dirk Bahle26-Dec-18 2:56
Dirk Bahle26-Dec-18 2:56 
GeneralRe: I am not surprissed... Pin
W Balboos, GHB26-Dec-18 3:01
W Balboos, GHB26-Dec-18 3:01 
GeneralRe: I am not surprissed... Pin
Dirk Bahle26-Dec-18 23:22
Dirk Bahle26-Dec-18 23:22 
GeneralThere was a time syntactic white space was a good idea... Pin
Dan Neely25-Dec-18 9:13
Dan Neely25-Dec-18 9:13 
GeneralRe: There was a time syntactic white space was a good idea... Pin
kalberts25-Dec-18 19:39
kalberts25-Dec-18 19:39 
GeneralRe: There was a time syntactic white space was a good idea... Pin
Dan Neely26-Dec-18 4:36
Dan Neely26-Dec-18 4:36 
GeneralRe: There was a time syntactic white space was a good idea... Pin
kalberts26-Dec-18 9:17
kalberts26-Dec-18 9:17 
Generalother Pin
theoldfool25-Dec-18 1:21
professionaltheoldfool25-Dec-18 1:21 
GeneralIt seems... Pin
Mehdi Gholam24-Dec-18 8:20
Mehdi Gholam24-Dec-18 8:20 
Generalwow - I'm shocked Pin
Bryian Tan24-Dec-18 2:54
professionalBryian Tan24-Dec-18 2:54 
GeneralRe: wow - I'm shocked PinPopular
OriginalGriff24-Dec-18 3:11
mveOriginalGriff24-Dec-18 3:11 
GeneralRe: wow - I'm shocked Pin
Bryian Tan24-Dec-18 3:52
professionalBryian Tan24-Dec-18 3:52 
GeneralRe: wow - I'm shocked Pin
Lutosław25-Dec-18 2:06
Lutosław25-Dec-18 2:06 
GeneralRe: wow - I'm shocked Pin
OriginalGriff25-Dec-18 3:21
mveOriginalGriff25-Dec-18 3:21 
GeneralRe: wow - I'm shocked Pin
Lutosław7-Apr-19 0:33
Lutosław7-Apr-19 0:33 

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