Reply to: Python Question

[Cliphead]

Have a look at Django / Python. Seems to be a lot of work around for experienced devs.

[NickFitz]

I've switched to Python 3 as of last year, and have no regrets. I haven't encountered any libraries that I can't use because of that decision, and I've been doing things like automated natural language analysis of books. And I had more difficulty dealing with a simple PostgreSQL database upgrade than I did with converting the 2.7 Django application that used that database to 3.

As Python has been a fad for twenty-five years now among people and communities that do interesting things with computers rather than just writing the same old Line of Business application over and over again, there's good support for all kinds of fun stuff; and the transition to 3, though it's been slowish to take off, has really gathered steam over the last year or two. You're unlikely to find many open source libraries you want to use that haven't been ported to 3, or can't be ported automatically using 2to3 (which is a real and valuable tool, not like that joke thing Microsoft came up with that was supposed to port Visual Basic 6 to VB.NET and which worked about as well as you'd expect a tool invented by the marketing department to).

And if your interest is in learning the language, and you manage to find a library that hasn't yet been ported and for which 2to3 doesn't do the job completely, then you'll learn a lot by completing the port yourself, and finish up with something to give back to the community

[d000hg]

I nearly said JS, but I'm unsure if it's use outside the browser is the same kind of fad we had with Ruby et al - flavour of the month that will get replaced by something else cool once Node.js loses its coolness?

[VectraMan]

Python was the cool kid on the block before Ruby gained popularity, and has retained popularity - so if you want a language of this genre Python is probably the one to go with?

These scripting languages are all much the same. If you can do one you can probably do all of them, with appropriate googling to work out the exact syntax.

Javascript is still the only language supported by browsers. I've mostly been doing C++ and Javascript together (in NodeJS), and also Typescript that gets converted to Javascript to run in a browser. Typescript is a pretty decent language for people that are used to proper programming, so probably won't catch on.

[d000hg]

Python seems another fad.

The language itself seems full of holes and inconsistencies.

https://wiki.theory.org/YourLanguage..._sucks_because

Strikes me as Visual Basic all over again.

By the time you learn, what looks like a poorly designed language, a new "fashion" language will be all the rage. Look at Scala a few years ago. Everyone was learning it. Perl and Ruby? Remember those? Must haves, now must be forgotten.

Computer Science is worse than the fashion industry....Apple Swift anyone?

Learn the consistent risers, and also use the Job sites to see which languages come up the most with the best rates.

Most Popular Coding Languages of 2016 — CodeEval

Python was the cool kid on the block before Ruby gained popularity, and has retained popularity - so if you want a language of this genre Python is probably the one to go with?

[SueEllen]

The real answer to "Should I learn Python" is this:

Please don’t learn to code | TechCrunch



Learn to plaster walls, build a brick extension, fit kitchens. Skills you learn today that are same in 10 years time, that pay better and with work there everyday of your life if you want it.

They aren't exactly the same but not as bad as in IT.

Plus if you have a brain you will be managing minions.

[DimPrawn]

The real answer to "Should I learn Python" is this:

Please don’t learn to code | TechCrunch

Technology changes at a rapid pace in this industry.

Just a few years ago I was using Objective-C; now I code almost entirely in Swift. There are iOS developers applying for jobs right now who have never written a line of Objective-C. Swift is easier to learn, safer, uses modern development paradigms and is elegant in a way that Objective-C never was. The fact that new developers will never deal with Objective-C’s deficiencies is great, but it ignores the reality of the profession.

Developers are expected to learn fast, with little guidance and little more incentive than the faint rattling of the pink-slip guillotine. One could argue that this is simply one of the costs of the trade. But if current developers are frustrated or falling behind — and there is evidence that shows this is the case — why encourage individuals to enter such an uncertain realm?

What happens to the person who spent night and day studying Objective-C only to be horrified by the Swift announcement at WWDC 2014? Do they keep coding in what is quickly becoming the language of lesser choice, or do they start again? If you’re a young twenty-something, this may pose little difficulty, but if you’re taking care of a family — with bills to pay and mouths to feed — the task becomes Herculean.

Learn to plaster walls, build a brick extension, fit kitchens. Skills you learn today that are same in 10 years time, that pay better and with work there everyday of your life if you want it.

[DimPrawn]

Perl and Ruby are still going.

Yeah, last I heard they were both at the bingo together last week.

[SueEllen]

Perl and Ruby are still going.

[DimPrawn]

Python seems another fad.

The language itself seems full of holes and inconsistencies.

https://wiki.theory.org/YourLanguage..._sucks_because

Strikes me as Visual Basic all over again.

By the time you learn, what looks like a poorly designed language, a new "fashion" language will be all the rage. Look at Scala a few years ago. Everyone was learning it. Perl and Ruby? Remember those? Must haves, now must be forgotten.

Computer Science is worse than the fashion industry....Apple Swift anyone?

Learn the consistent risers, and also use the Job sites to see which languages come up the most with the best rates.

http://blog.codeeval.com/codeevalblo...guages-of-2016

[stek]

Any recommended resources for learning python from scratch?

Parrot sketch is always a good starter sketch.

[BillHicksRIP]

Any recommended resources for learning python from scratch?

[eek]

I wouldn't claim to know a lot about it, but when I had to integrate Python into an application recently and use it to build some things I of course sought out the latest version which was Python 3. I soon realised that was a mistake as so much didn't work, and went back to 2.7.

If you're learning the language it probably doesn't make a huge difference, except if you're googling for examples to copy you're probably going to find near enough all are Python 2.

Introducing breaking changes into your own widely used language is pretty dumb. I would imagine Python 2 will still be in use for decades. Which is a shame as it's a hateful language (but that's another argument).

You would have thought the history of Perl 6 (now over 16 years old) would be a clue in how (not) to manage language changes)

[VectraMan]

I wouldn't claim to know a lot about it, but when I had to integrate Python into an application recently and use it to build some things I of course sought out the latest version which was Python 3. I soon realised that was a mistake as so much didn't work, and went back to 2.7.

If you're learning the language it probably doesn't make a huge difference, except if you're googling for examples to copy you're probably going to find near enough all are Python 2.

Introducing breaking changes into your own widely used language is pretty dumb. I would imagine Python 2 will still be in use for decades. Which is a shame as it's a hateful language (but that's another argument).

[Chuck]

Python 2 is still widely used as there were breaking changes in Python 3 and number of projects rely on libraries which have yet to be ported.

It would make sense in my opinion to start with Python 3, 90% of which is compatible with the older version. You can easily understand the differences later when you know the language a little better.

Brilliant, thank you.