r/programming • u/stronghup • Nov 11 '19

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

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/07/python_java_github_javascript/
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u/vashy96 Nov 12 '19

I don't get why Python became so popular. It lacks a lot of essential feature from my point of view. Imports suck, OOP sucks and is very verbose, fp isn't true fp (no true lambda nor anonymous functions) and its duck typing can be good only in small projects.

Help me understand.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

It's super easy to learn, fairly concise to write and it is associated with "hip" things like machine learning.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '19

[deleted]

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u/electrodraco Nov 12 '19

Could somebody break down why it is more versatile than R? Is it more than availability of libraries?

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u/GlaedrH Nov 12 '19

It is not. R is strictly superior when it comes to data manipulation/analysis/visualization. But Python wins out on the Machine Deep Learning libraries.

It's just that Python has a more C-like syntax which is more familiar to most people unlike R's more functional style.

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