Python's popularity statistics

[Steve Holden]

"Aaron K. Johnson" <akjmicro at yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:at8svh$ggu$3 at bob.news.rcn.net...
> In message <mailman.1039651694.24189.python-list at python.org>, Cliff Wells
wrote:
> > On Wed, 2002-12-11 at 12:49, Aaron K.Johnson wrote:
> > > For all who are interested, I wrote a couple of python scripts that
helpe=
> > d
> > > extract newsgroup activity from the comp.lang.* hierarchy, and this
can b=
> > e a
> > > rough guide to the popularity and usage of the big programming
languages.
> >
> > <advocate name=3D"devil">
> >
> > Or it could be taken as a measurement of the relative difficulty of a
> > language: more activity =3D more questions ;)
> >
> > </advocate>
>
> If that were true, why is Python so high up on the list? I know of no
easier to
> learn and use language!!!
>
> Yes I know there are many factors contributing to news traffic--but I
still
> contend that the size of a user community is directly proportional to its
> usenet activity (albeit in a non-linear way).....
>

<nitpick>
If the relationship is non-linear then the size of the user base can't be
"directly proportional" to its usenet activity. It might, however, be true
that the volume of usenet activity increases monotonically with the size of
the user community.
</nitpick>

It might, of course, also be true that Python attracts chatty bastards like
me who simply love to see their own words echoed back from the Internet via
newsgroups :-). If that were so, of course, you might expect Perl to
disappear in the noise ;-)

regards
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Holden                                  http://www.holdenweb.com/
Python Web Programming                 http://pydish.holdenweb.com/pwp/
Previous .sig file retired to                    www.homeforoldsigs.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------