Abandoning Python

[John J Lee]

</troll>

I still like Python after using it for over a decade, but there are
things I don't like.

What are your favourite up-and-coming languages of the moment?

Here's my wishlist (not really in any order):

 * A widely used standard for (optional) interface declaration -- or
   something better.  I want it to be easier to know what interface an
   object has when reading code, and which objects provide that
   interface.
 * Lower memory usage and faster execution speed.  Yes, this has been a
   price worth paying.  But I do want jam on it, please: give me a
   language where I get most of Python's advantages but don't have to
   pay it.
 * Better support for writing correct programs in the form of better
   support for things like non-imperative programming, DBC, etc. (with
   the emphasis on "etc").
 * Perhaps better built-in support for common tasks in common application
   domains.  Concurrency, persistence, database queries come to mind.
 * Better refactoring tools, better code analysis tools (lint, search,
   etc.).
 * An even larger user base, contributing more and better free and
   commercial software.

I'm prepared to compromise on the last one.  Obviously, it should do all
that while preserving all the nice features of Python -- surely an easy
task.


John