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I like . It was the first programming language I tried, it had a reputation of being easy to learn and yeah, it was. What I don't really understand is how it has become so popular (# 1 in the TIOBE index...) and pervasive (you find it in areas where it seems like logic for a scripting language, but in others where you wouldn't bet for it too). It shines where it shines, but aren't really there better options in some of the niches it is being used for?

bignose

There is great momentum in a community that already knows a language and wants to *do work* with that. (i.e. that is not primarily programming, but merely *using* programming to achieve some other goal.)

So, those people will reach for what they already know, which in this case is ; and if it is good enough, then other niche special-purpose tools don't even get investigated.

A special property of Python is impressive support for so many use cases; people try it, it just works!

@array

@bignose "Yeah, this treatment just works -in most cases, just take it with a grain of salt and fingers crossed. I may have heard about other treatments which more efficiently could treat your specific illness, but what are you asking from me, I'm just a doctor, and a lazy one I'll admit!" XD

Yeah, I can understand *why*. I'm just not sure that is the better option. ;)

That's what I tried to clarify though @array; in your analogy, the person is a doctor, expected to have a great deal of knowledge about medical treatments.

But these people I'm talking about, don't have "programmer" as their profession; they're scientists, or they're financial experts, or they're trying to run a training website, or a bunch of other things. is not their profession, it's a tool in their job.

And it works well! But they don't need to be expert in all the others.

@bignose You're very right, and that's actually part of my point. You wouldn't expect a scientist or financial expert or someone trying to just "run a training website" to prescribe your medical treatments, but nobody wonders why they write code? Just saying, but *maybe* an actual programmer could come up with better solutions... ;)

@array @bignose

I would also add that there is no right or wrong programming language. At the end you can solve every software engineering problem in any programming language which is turing complete.

And in practice you usually don't have a choice either, because of an existing code base etc. etc. - it's quite rare to start a new project from the scratch.

Also don't be afraid of mixing multiple languages within a single larger project.

@folkerschamel @bignose Fair enough. But still, SQL may be Turing complete, but I guess it may not be the best choice if you want to write an OS from scratch. Same with using, say, C in full-stack web dev. ;)

Yet you're right, personal projects apart, in an actual ${job} one likely don't get to choose. I just cross fingers for the choosing made before I jump in were not just a mess, as it happens. XD

"Best tool for the job" seems like good advice, including mix and match. Thanks! :D

@array @bignose

"SQL may be Turing complete, but I guess it may not be the best choice if you want to write an OS from scratch" -> you and me must be careful, you may trigger me to try to proof the opposite! 😉

But seriously, yes, I agree definitely, especially with "best tool for the job"🙂

We originally used mainly #cpp. But when we started a complete new tool application and chose #python. And then, starting major web development, we chose #java. Three times where we could choose.

@folkerschamel @bignose Haha, just reading again what I wrote I thought, "a full OS in SQL seems so, uh, "challenging", that maybe someone already tried that". XD

In an ideal world everybody would count with very good engineers, reaching for the less bloated, better and funnier to write, best performant, safer, more efficient tools for the job. And etc. Now we just have to wait for someone to write those tools. XD

@folkerschamel @bignose (I just remembered now... My professor for Databases made a Goat Race Simulator in SQL and prompted us to do something similar. Because, you know, what DBMS could run without a Goat Race Simulator? XD)