Re: Python handles globals badly.

References	(6 earlier) <55EEDD37.5090602@gmx.com> <CAK_ErkjdWXG7aQ=Q23tq-ZVuyX_etdrC939WtCAPkeu2_5SZ8A@mail.gmail.com> <mailman.243.1441760967.8327.python-list@python.org> <55f072aa$0$1669$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <55F079BD.7040408@mail.de>
Date	2015-09-10 05:00 +1000
Subject	Re: Python handles globals badly.
From	Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Message-ID	<mailman.283.1441825624.8327.python-list@python.org> (permalink)

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On Thu, Sep 10, 2015 at 4:26 AM, Sven R. Kunze <srkunze@mail.de> wrote:
>> Adoption of programming languages is driven by many things, technical
>> excellence and careful design are not even in the top 10. Most of them are
>> social in nature, particularly "what is everyone else using?". Network
>> effects dominate: you could design the perfect language, but if nobody
>> else
>> uses it, nobody will use it.
>
> Just to understand it the way you want it to be understood: what do you mean
> by "technical excellence"?

Suppose it's possible, somehow, to design the perfect language. (It
isn't, because the best language for a job depends on the job, but
suppose it for the nonce.) It is simultaneously more readable than
Python, more ugly than Perl, more functional than Haskell, and
compiles to lower level code than C does. The compiler's/interpreter's
internals are a bug-free demonstration of utter code beauty, and you
no longer have reason to use any other programming language, because
this one is the ultimate.

But nobody uses it except you.

Technical excellence it has a'plenty, but is it going to be on the job
postings? No. Is it going to be on people's resumes? No. When a
programmer pitches a proposal at his manager, will he mention your
language, which he's never heard of? No. When someone asks on Stack
Overflow "How do I...", will the answers recommend the use of your
language? No. It isn't going to be used, no matter how good it is, if
nobody knows about it. And if it isn't used, nobody will get to know
it. Until you start getting some usage, you won't get much usage.

That's what drives programming language adoption: existing usage. It's
self-perpetuating and proves little.

To get started, you need some other sort of kick. Maybe a high-profile
company uses your language. Maybe a hardware manufacturer mandates its
use. Maybe your development team has so many famous names that the
world has been watching with interest. But whatever it is, it has to
be something big or you won't get over that initial usage hump.

ChrisA

Thread

Re: Python handles globals badly. tdev@freenet.de - 2015-09-02 11:47 -0700
  Re: Python handles globals badly. tdev@freenet.de - 2015-09-02 12:32 -0700
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Emile van Sebille <emile@fenx.com> - 2015-09-02 12:34 -0700
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-09-02 13:38 -0600
  Re: Python handles globals badly. "Sven R. Kunze" <srkunze@mail.de> - 2015-09-02 22:08 +0200
  Re: Python handles globals badly. MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2015-09-02 21:22 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-02 22:19 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-03 02:16 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-03 11:49 +1000
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Vladimir Ignatov <kmisoft@gmail.com> - 2015-09-04 20:05 -0400
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-09-08 10:40 +0200
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Vladimir Ignatov <kmisoft@gmail.com> - 2015-09-08 07:55 -0400
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Akira Li <4kir4.1i@gmail.com> - 2015-09-08 15:35 +0300
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmx.com> - 2015-09-08 14:05 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-09-08 08:31 -0600
    Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-09 01:56 +1000
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2015-09-08 17:55 -0600
        Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-09 13:23 +1000
          Re: Python handles globals badly. Christian Gollwitzer <auriocus@gmx.de> - 2015-09-09 18:09 +0200
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-10 03:22 +1000
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-10 03:27 +1000
              Re: Python handles globals badly. William Ray Wing <wrw@mac.com> - 2015-09-09 13:59 -0400
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-09 20:20 +0100
                Re: Python handles globals badly. Peter Pearson <pkpearson@nowhere.invalid> - 2015-09-10 20:49 +0000
              Re: Python handles globals badly. MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2015-09-09 20:22 +0100
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-10 05:27 +1000
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-09-09 12:42 +0200
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2015-09-09 09:33 -0400
  Re: Python handles globals badly. random832@fastmail.us - 2015-09-08 12:13 -0400
  Re: Python handles globals badly. MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2015-09-08 18:41 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-08 23:41 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2015-09-09 00:20 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-09 00:32 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Random832 <random832@fastmail.com> - 2015-09-08 20:02 -0400
    Re: Python handles globals badly. "Skybuck Flying" <skybuck2000@hotmail.com> - 2015-09-11 10:23 +0200
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmx.com> - 2015-09-09 02:09 +0100
    Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-10 03:55 +1000
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Laura Creighton <lac@openend.se> - 2015-09-09 20:05 +0200
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Emile van Sebille <emile@fenx.com> - 2015-09-09 11:23 -0700
        Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-10 22:20 +1000
      Re: Python handles globals badly. "Sven R. Kunze" <srkunze@mail.de> - 2015-09-09 20:26 +0200
        Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-11 01:50 +1000
      Re: Python handles globals badly. random832@fastmail.us - 2015-09-09 14:59 -0400
        Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-11 01:59 +1000
          Re: Python handles globals badly. random832@fastmail.us - 2015-09-10 12:31 -0400
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-11 04:13 +1000
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-11 04:33 +1000
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Jussi Piitulainen <harvesting@makes.email.invalid> - 2015-09-10 22:11 +0300
              Re: Python handles globals badly. random832@fastmail.us - 2015-09-10 16:30 -0400
          Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-11 02:48 +1000
          Re: Python handles globals badly. alister <alister.nospam.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2015-09-10 19:56 +0000
          Re: Python handles globals badly. random832@fastmail.us - 2015-09-10 16:07 -0400
          Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-11 11:35 +1000
          Re: Python handles globals badly. Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-09-11 12:19 +0200
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-09-11 14:59 +0300
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-09-14 09:13 +0200
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-10 05:00 +1000
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Laura Creighton <lac@openend.se> - 2015-09-09 21:14 +0200
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-10 05:18 +1000
        Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-10 22:18 +1000
          Re: Python handles globals badly. jkn <jkn_gg@nicorp.f9.co.uk> - 2015-09-10 08:09 -0700
          Re: Python handles globals badly. rurpy@yahoo.com - 2015-09-10 12:04 -0700
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2015-09-10 20:33 -0400
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Gene Heskett <gheskett@wdtv.com> - 2015-09-10 22:19 -0400
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-12 03:35 +0100
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmx.com> - 2015-09-12 05:11 +0100
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-12 05:38 +0100
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmx.com> - 2015-09-12 16:52 +0100
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2015-09-12 12:24 -0400
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2015-09-12 12:29 -0400
            Re: Python handles globals badly. MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2015-09-12 18:09 +0100
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmx.com> - 2015-09-12 22:57 +0100
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-12 23:05 +0100
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-12 23:07 +0100
      Re: Python handles globals badly. "Sven R. Kunze" <srkunze@mail.de> - 2015-09-09 21:21 +0200
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-09 20:24 +0100
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmx.com> - 2015-09-09 20:57 +0100
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-09-09 21:15 +0100
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-09-10 09:27 +0200
        Re: Python handles globals badly. Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-09-10 10:49 +0300
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2015-09-10 08:21 -0600
      Re: Python handles globals badly. Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-09-11 09:28 +0200
        Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-12 13:48 +1000
          Re: Python handles globals badly. Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-09-14 10:30 +0200
            Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-16 11:13 +1000
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-09-16 11:20 +1000
                Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-16 11:58 +1000
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Random832 <random832@fastmail.com> - 2015-09-15 21:54 -0400
              Re: Python handles globals badly. Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-09-16 10:51 +0200
      Re: Python handles globals badly. random832@fastmail.us - 2015-09-11 08:50 -0400
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2015-09-09 11:26 +1000
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-09 11:41 +1000
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Mario Figueiredo <marfig@gmx.com> - 2015-09-09 03:43 +0100
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-09-09 13:03 +1000
  Re: Python handles globals badly. Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2015-09-09 15:53 +1000

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