[Python-Dev] Python ROCKS! Thanks guys! [anecdote]

[Chris Angelico]

On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 12:01 PM, Ryan Gonzalez <rymg19 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 12, 2016 at 7:05 PM, Chris Angelico <rosuav at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I work with a full-stack web development bootcamp. Most of the course
>> focuses on JavaScript (Node.js, React, jQuery, etc),
>
>
> Poor students... ;)

The bootcamp guarantees them employment upon graduation (subject to
some constraints, yada yada), so it teaches those skills that are most
likely to be employable. But one of those skills is learning new
technologies, hence the freedom to pick anything they like.

> I think the craziest thing is probably that, based on how you said it, these
> two students haven't even begun to enter the entire Python standard library,
> which you'd have to download a zillion npm modules (like the glorious
> left-pad) in order to match. Once they realize that, they'll never be going
> back!

Yes, this is true; but pip/PyPI is still an important part of web dev
in Python (eg Flask, SQLAlchemy, etc). My explanation to them is that
the dependency tree in Python is not as deep as the equivalent in Ruby
or JavaScript, but it's no less there. But Python definitely does
offer a far richer standard library. It's the little things,
sometimes:

var choice = messages[Math.floor(Math.random() * messages.length)];

choice = random.choice(messages)

The debate on whether it's worth sacrificing this kind of advantage in
order to use the same language on both client and server is unlikely
to be resolved any time soon. In the meantime, I'm very happy to be
able to introduce a few people to the joy of Pythonning.

ChrisA