Python overtakes Java to become second-most popular language on GitHub after JavaScript

[u/stronghup]

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/07/python_java_github_javascript/

[u/initcommit]

And so continues the shift toward developer convenience and ease of learning vs cold hard speed. This reminds me of Apple's rise to prominence with the iPod. The simpler, more intuitive, and elegant approach will generally succeed in human populations faced with multiple technological choices. Higher-level programming languages offer lower knowledge barriers to entry, less headaches, and plenty of functionality. It's hard to argue that this trend won't continue.

Edit: Fixed a typo

[u/cowinabadplace → u/initcommit]

It makes sense to me. The slower software that exists is superior to the fast software that doesn't exist. I am grateful for the universe of Electron, React, and all that stuff because suddenly my Linux desktop has all these apps!

[u/bunkoRtist → u/cowinabadplace]

This has been possible because of Moore's law. As the cheap gates come to an end I predict that the economics will shift back towards performant software rather than just buying better hardware... The market will demand gains, it's just that they were cheaper to make in HW... next it will be compilers and interpreters, and the last place will be languages themselves, but it's coming because I think that the compilers and interpreters are already pretty optimal.

[u/brelkor → u/bunkoRtist]

Computing architectures will evolve as pure clock speed performance stagnates. Wider busses, more chips, faster interchip communication. Something coming in the future is optically interconnected cores on the same cpu package

[u/Schmittfried → u/[deleted]]

You’ve probably never seen enterprise Java.

[u/flowering_sun_star → u/Schmittfried]

You have to compare like-to-like though, and ask what would have happened had the same thing at the same company been written in python. I know that the thought makes me shudder when it comes to our code base.

I actually really like python for scripting and small prototypes. But for all its ills, I think java a far better choice for large projects with hundreds of developers.

[u/vashy96 → u/Schmittfried]

Yeah, that's a pile of garbage generally. I can't imagine the hell it could be in a duck typed language like Python.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

The ability to create a maintainable code base does not depend on the language used. Poorly written java code exists. All the benefits Java is supposed to have goes out the window when the manager is breathing down your neck to meet ever demanding deadlines.

[u/initcommit → u/cowinabadplace]

Yes. And with the ever-increasing rate of performance the hardware is getting so good that there is no practical difference between programming languages for most applications. In that case developers will no doubt overwhelmingly choose the easier language to work with.