[Chicago] [python-advocacy] Marketing Python - An Idea Whose Time Has Come

[Tim Parkin]

Michael Tobis wrote:
> (cc: ChiPy. This follows on some discussion on the marketing-python list.)
> 
> Some thoughts:
> 
> THE MAIN ONE:
> 
> If the foundation has resources to put into this, I'd recommend
> getting the services of a good design and promotion team. Our contacts
> in the web business ought to serve us well in finding one. I think a
> big part of the buzz that Ruby/Rails have picked up (let's face it,
> largely at our expense) is due to the close interaction between the
> core Ruby team and these people: http://www.coudal.com/ (wish we could
> hire them!)

Do you mean 37 Signals as the people who seem to be pushing Ruby the
most (see www.vitamin.com, basecamp, tada lists, etc)?  (let me know if
I'm wrong, I just haven't seen Coudal in relation to Ruby much)

The Ruby propoganda has travelled mostly on the back of rails as far as
I can tell (everyone I know that isn't a programmer seem to think Ruby
is Rails and vice versa).

Python.org can never be (and never should be) a
http://www.rubyonrails.org/ because it is a language and not a product.

The parralel in Ruby would be http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/ which I'm
sure hasn't been the pivotal in Ruby's current exposure levels.

So in order to parralel Ruby's success we need a monolithic web
framework backed by a commercial company and network of bloggers who all
are experienced in self and product promotion through word of mouth
networks? I personally can't see that happening and I'm pretty sure it
wouldn't be a good thing anyway.

It seems the problem is that the python.org website is very
non-marketing and non-opinionated and hence can't act as an evangalist
for anything apart from standard library code because of the danger of
appearing biased (for instance, the recommendation of one IDE over
another could raise some obvious problems.)

Should there be a new website for python that promotes python directly
and is not afraid to pick make some hard recommendations on things such
as 'if you want a simple web framework, use this. if you want to process
xml, use this?'. Will the PSF, who have taken community contributions,
be seen as traitorous to certain projects if they make the decision that
they aren't the best?

I'm all for developing a website that provides some solid
recommendations on a programming environment and standard tools to use
but it's going to create a big stir if it happens.

Tim Parkin