Python Developer Survey: Python 3 usage overtakes Python 2 usage

[Rick Johnson]

On Friday, March 30, 2018 at 10:45:35 AM UTC-5, Terry Reedy wrote:
> https://www.jetbrains.com/research/python-developers-survey-2017/
> “Which version of Python do you use the most?”
> 2014 80% 2.x, 20% 3.x
> 2016 60% 2.x, 40% 3.x
> 2017 25% 2.x, 75% 3.x
> 
> This is a bigger jump than I anticipated.

If these stats are true, i would caution not to draw any
rash conclusions from them. Even *IF* there are more Python3
programmers today than Python2 (and personally, i'm not
buying it!), what *REALLY* matters is the following:

    (1) Has the total number of Python programmers remained
    steady? (or has it increased or decreased?)
     
    (2) What percentage of the Python3 users are merely students
    who use Python (probably against their will) as part of
    university studies, and thus, will abandon the language when
    (and *IF*) they move into the professional world.

    (3) Of the aforementioned students, how many are training to
    become actual programmers?

My suspicion is that not only are the overall numbers of
Python programmers on the decline (Thanks, Python3000!),
but the folks who are using Python are mostly students who
will abandon the language when they leave university.

In the end, the property which matters _most_ here is
quaLity not quaNtity. IOWs: a hundred professional grade
softwares in the wild are more important than a billion
hello world programs in the classroom. Which is another
reason why i pay absolutely zero attention to the TIOBI
index (nothin' but hype!).