WHAT MAKES PYTHON

SO POPULAR?
Jung-Hoon Rhew
intel.dts.ptm.pdmg

10/7/2010

Jung-Hoon Rhew

Overview
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.

What is Python? Brief History

Where is Python Popular?
Is Python getting Popular?
What makes Python so Popular?
Code Examples
Python vs. Ruby Debate
How to Start
Summary

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I. What is Python - Brief

History

Conception: 1980
Implementation: 1989
Creator: Guido van Rossum @ CWI (once @Google)
Heritage: SETL ABC Python
Named from Monty Pythons Flying Circus
Key Features

Simple and intuitive language construct

Multi-paradigm (Structured, OOP, FP, AOP, )
Dynamically (but strongly) typed with garbage collection
Interpreted but highly scalable and extensible
Spiritual (Zen of Python)

Major Releases

0.9: Feb. 20, 1991 (First)

2.0: Oct. 16, 2000 (2.x branch is still active, most popular)
3.0: Dec. 3, 2008
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II. Where is Python Popular?

Google

Microsoft

IronPython (Python for .NET)

Finance

Major contributor to Googles engineering success

One of the three official languages along with C++ &
Java
Google App Engine provides Python and Java SDKs only

Proposed by U.S. SEC for use in financial modeling for

transparency (e.g. Pandas library)

Academia

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Computer science (Python as a First Language)

Scientific computing (NumPy, SciPy, NanoHub)
Social science (Python extension in SPSS)
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III. Is Python getting Popular?

Yes: The Growth of Dynamic Languages
(7/28/2010 Active Blog)

The blog offers the following reasons for Pythons high usage and
growth.
Adoption, support, and investment from Google and Microsoft
Strong support and community
Established developer base
Enterprise friendly licensing
Popularity for web applications with prevailing cloud computing
Proposed by the SEC for use in financial modeling

However, these are just an outcome of a more fundamental

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cause.

IV. What makes Python so

Popular?

Superb productivity in creating, (re)using, sharing,

and maintaining knowledge across different
domains.
Thanks to Pythons letter and spirit that
relentlessly pursue beautiful coding

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The philosophy is established both in its core language construct

and in its community culture
Beautiful = Explicit, Simple, Flat, Sparse, Readable as
summarized in Zen of Python (PEP-20)
Syntax/Semantics is kept simple and intuitive for good citizens
to use easily and correctly.
Culture raises good citizens by promoting good practices while
discouraging bad ones. Idiomatic Python, Style guide (PEP-8)
Bruce Eckel (C++ & Java Guru) explains in Why I love Python
how minimizing clutter improves productivity, and the
relationship between backwards compatibility and programmer
pain.
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IV.0 Read-Time Convenience

Programmers spend >95% of time on

Development productivity, code maintainability,

effectiveness of knowledge sharing, etc. are strongly
correlate to Read-Time Convenience.
In this sense, Python defines what the beautiful code
is.

Reading the surrounding code.

This might not be as much fun as coding in a language

oriented to Write-Time Convenience.

Read-time convenience requires the language to be

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Explicit, Simple, Flat, and Sparse because Readability counts.

These characteristics may compromise convenience or fun of
writing code in local scope.
However, it promotes convenience or fun of writing code into
a scalable, maintainable structure.
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IV.1. Python Culture

While offering choices in coding, the Python philosophy rejects

exuberant syntax, such as in Perl, in favor of a sparser, lesscluttered grammar. Python developers expressly promote a
particular "culture", favoring language forms they see as
"beautiful", "explicit", and "simple"
To describe something as clever is NOT considered a compliment
in the Python culture." Python's philosophy rejects the Perl "
there is more than one way to do it" approach to language
design in favor of "there should be oneand preferably only one
obvious way to do it." Alex Martelli
Python developers eschew premature optimization, and
moreover, reject patches to non-critical parts of CPython which
would offer a marginal increase in speed at the cost of clarity.
Python is sometimes described as "slow". However, most
problems and sections of programs are not speed critical. When
speed is a problem, Python programmers tend to try using a JIT
compiler or rewriting the time-critical functions in C/C++.

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IV.2. Zen of Python

Author: Tim Peters

Guiding principles but open to interpretation
Part 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

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Beautiful is better than ugly.

Explicit is better than implicit.
Simple is better than complex.
Complex is better than complicated.
Flat is better than nested.
Sparse is better than dense.
Readability counts.
Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
Although practicality beats purity.
Errors should never pass silently.
Unless explicitly silenced.
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IV.2. Zen of Python Cont.

Part 2
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

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In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to

guess.
There should be oneand preferably only one
obvious way to do it.
Although that way may not be obvious at first unless
you're Dutch.
Now is better than never.
Although never is often better than right now.
If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad
idea.
If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a
good idea.
Namespaces are one honking great idealet's do
more of those!
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IV.3. Master Yodas Lesson

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Yoda: Code! Yes. A programmers strength

flows from code maintainability. But beware
of Perl. Terse syntax more than one way to
do it default variables. The dark side of
code maintainability are they. Easily they
flow, quick to join you when code you write. If
once you start down the dark path, forever
will it dominate your destiny, consume you it
will.
Luke: Is Perl better than Python?
Yoda: No no no. Quicker, easier, more
seductive.
Luke: But how will I know why Python is
better than Perl?
Yoda: You will know. When your code you try
to read six months from now.
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V.1. Code Examples - Readable

def list_to_0_index(lst):
""" # docstring start
Returns a list that contains the 0-index of the first
occurrence of elements in the list lst.
So the list x = [0, 1, 4, 2, 4, 1, 0, 2] is
transformed into y = [0, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 0, 3].
>>> x = [0, 1, 4, 2, 4, 1, 0, 2] # doctest
>>> list_to_0_index(x)
[0, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 0, 3]
""" # docstring end
return [lst.index(i) for i in lst] # list comprehension
if __name__ == "__main__": # command-line mode
import doctest
# import doctest module
doctest.testmod()
# run doc test

Compare the readability of list_to_0_index to C++, Java, and

Haskell counterparts at
http://rgrig.blogspot.com/2005/11/writing-readable-code.html
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V.2. Code Examples - Pythonic

The following Easter egg displays Zen of Python in the interpreter
>>> import this
The Zen of Python, by Tim Peters
Beautiful is better than ugly.

Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!

this module creates Zen of Python by decoding ROT13 encrypted
string stored in this.s.
The ROT13 mapping is stored in this.d.
Below are both non-pythonic codes and a pythonic one (preferably only one obvious
way).
# Non-pythonic code 1

# Non-pythonic code 2

result = []
for c in this.s:
if c in this.d:
result.append(this.d[c])
else:
result.append(c)
print ''.join(result)

print ''.join([this.d[c] if c in this.d else c

for c in this.s])

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# Pythonic code using built-in dict.get method

and generator expression
print ''.join(this.d.get(c,c) for c in this.s)
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V.3. Code Examples Namespaces

Zen of Python rule #19

Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!
The following directory structure and corresponding import statements
show how to create and manage modules and packages.
package/
__init__.py
# makes the directory recognized as a namespace
module1.py
# file name is a namespace
subpackage/
__init__.py
module2.py
# module2 contains object name

>>> import package.module1

>>> from package.subpackage import module2 as mymodule2
>>> from package.subpackage.module2 import name

So easy even Grandma can do!

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VI. Python vs. Ruby Debate

Why do I bring this up?

The starting question was Should I learn Python

or Ruby next? from a Perl programmer.
Someone in the thread analyzed 100+ posts.

Quite often, promoting Python comes down to this

debate.
The debate is among daily programmers who are
experienced in either language or both.
Examination of the debate reveals why Python is great
not just over Ruby but in general.

50% voted for Python

30% voted for Ruby
20% voted for learning both

This is not the end of the story.

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VI. Python vs. Ruby Debate Cont.

Disclaimer

Not trying to say dont learn Ruby. Learning other

languages is important if you can afford and they meet
your organizational need (e.g.
Ruby on Rails for web development).

Myths

From Equivocal side

Ruby has more powerful features but Python has more

libraries.
Both languages are equivalent or equally capable.

From Ruby side

Ruby provides powerful features Python cant or does with

limitation.
So, Ruby allows more creative ways of doing things and
fun to use.

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Even some of experienced Python programmers are

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swayed by those myths.

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VI. Python vs. Ruby Debate Cont.

What is Powerful?

Usually a capability that enables different things,

implicitly.
Fits well into Perl mantra more than one way to do it.
Takes a lot of time to (or learn how to) use correctly and
safely.
due to lack of read-time convenience.

Python deliberately avoids or limits such features as

stated in Python's Design Philosophy.
Borrow ideas from elsewhere whenever it makes

(Pythonic) sense: read-time convenience over writetime convenience.

Do one thing well (The "UNIX philosophy").

What is Creative?

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It is NOT creativity favoring personal pleasure of coding

over responsibility to the public.
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VI. Python vs. Ruby Debate Cont.

Still not convinced?

Let me remind you of the evidences

Major contributor to Googles engineering success as one of

their three official languages along with C++ & Java
Widely adopted in various domains; scientific computing,
finance, statistics, GUI, DB, web applications, and so on.
Python has a lot more (~4x) quality libraries across different
domains than Ruby or any other in the list thanks to its
amazing productivity.

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VII. How to Start

Guidos Python Tutorial. (~60 pages light-weight reading)

Understand Pythons design philosophy (including the
Zen).
Get used to Idiomatic Python.
Better to follow Style guide (PEP-8).
Read good books on Python
Search web for references and video clips (Official Python
docs, Google python class, PyCon talks, etc.)
You can become a capable (Python) programmer much
quicker.

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VIII. Summary

Life of three smart programmers

who disregarded Python

Life of their simple coworker

who happened to pick up Python
they had kicked away
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