python gaining popularity according to a study

[robert]

ccdetail at gmail.com wrote:
> http://www.tiobe.com/index.htm?tiobe_index
> 
> Python is the 7th most commonly used language, up from 8th.
> The only one gaining ground besides VB in the top 10.
> 
> We're glad, our app is written in python.
> It's free at http://pnk.com and it is a web timesheet for project
> accounting

The real comparision is vs. Ruby. Seems, Ruby has won an important race because of this Rails thing. 
Both, the Ruby language and this thing are weak compared to Python side in almost any aspect (just better than dull LAMP).
But they have managed to raise a single-minded marketing and focus. 

When a LAMP programmer comes to Python, there are so many different confusing things. 
It starts with a 'non-documented' cgi module - a 'High-Level-Interface', that cannot even iterate over the form items. 
A name ZOPE in focus which reveals to be a monster system with 2-year learning-curve, ready for running an article editorial system for TOP-10 newspaper companies, but unable to make simple things simple.
A handful of different Djangos - choose one for each weekday and programmer ...
And Ruby made it with this single-known simple URL-to-method-router (And possibly when coming from PHP & Perl one recognizes ::@$_$%§§%/&... and the old namespace dirt)
If there would have been a good cgi-system and a somewhat comfortable advanced URL-to-OO-router (beyond the socket wrapper HTTPServer) well exposed in the Python standard lib, the numbers would be probably very different today ... 

Flat Web/DB programming is one major field where programmer masses are born.
The other big one is RAD-GUI/DB programming. This field is probably still wide open. Best tooled Borland RAD systems are going down meanwhile because of the stiff compiler language. Programmers look around for the next language & toolset. Python is the language - but with Python there is again a similar confusion around IDE's and GUI-libs. There is no really good IDE (but fat ones). And the major gui libs there are not Python, but are fat sickening layers upon layers upon other OO-langs. ==> VB went up.
Maybe Borland should go towards a Python GUI/IDE system ...

Python is probably (still) the best _language_ within that top 20 for most purposes. Richest set of libraries probably. 
It would be by far the best language for Web and Gui programming as well.
But the Python community has missed to create focus regarding a few must-be-sharp knifes.

The only area with appropriate Python success is probably sci programming.
And there is 2nd-level network programming and some glueing, where Python gathers numbers mostly because of merely the superior language itself.

Python is undersold und the key tools are somewhat too bloomy and fragmented for successful professional application.


Robert