Why isn't Python king of the hill?

[Courageous]

On 23 May 2001 12:53:04 -0700, markhaliday at yahoo.com (Mark H) wrote:

>The more I use Python, the more I wonder why it hasn't taken the wind
>out of Java's sails?  Now, don't get me wrong, I love Java, but I have
>found I am at least twice as productive in Python than Java, and there
>seems to be very little if anything that you cannot do in Python or a
>Python extension.  Is it because Java has a few big companies behind
>it while Python doesn't?

<begin scathing commentary>

Yes. Sun and IBM have spent millions and millions of dollars _marketing_
Java; furthermore, somewhere, somehow, a huge trove of developers
got it in their head that learning Java would be fun to do and great job
security, convincing themselves with the argument "we're all going this
way, so let's go this way." 

The _only_ problem that I ever have with Python is that it is, in some
cases, SLOW. This doesn't matter a great deal of the time, however,
because "slow" merely means slower than the alternative, not actually
perceivably slow or slower than it needs to be. Misfortunately, a little
of the time it is _both_ perceivable slow _and_ slower than it needs to
be, and that's occasionally a problem, particularly if "slower than it
needs to be" means scoring high on some trumped up benchmark
meant to rub your manager's rhubarb exactly the right way.

<end scathing commentary>

C//