

What Language Is Today's Python as Described by Paul Graham in 'Python Paradox'? - akashtndn

Link to the 2004 essay: http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.paulgraham.com&#x2F;pypar.html
======
throwaway41597
Although he named it the Python paradox and wrote mostly about Python being
chosen by Java programmers, he doesn't think of Python too highly. He mentions
Perl, Ruby, Icon, Joy, J, Lisp and Smalltalk. He also speaks about esoteric
languages, but based on his other essays, he probably means any language
better than the average.

Since the average language depends on the type of the program, it depends:

    
    
        - if Java is the average: Clojure, Scala, Groovy, Python, Ruby, Go, Erlang
        - if Javascript: CoffeeScript, TypeScript, ClojureScript
        - if C/C++: Rust, D
    

That's not exhaustive and highly subjective of course.

And since programming languages are such an important topic of his, any
language that is considered the best overall language by clever hackers would
fit the description.

------
mongole
I also would throw Scala in.

It has it drawbacks because it has to run on the JVM. But that is one of it's
strengths as well.

If you once have programmed Scala for a while, you do not want to bend your
mind around java anymore ;)

~~~
spacemanmatt
> If you once have programmed Scala for a while, you do not want to bend your
> mind around java anymore ;)

I'm having that exact experience with Clojure.

------
theyeti
IMHO Scala would be the present day equivalent. Go would be a close second.

~~~
aminorex
Go? Hah, you almost had me there, until you said "Go".

------
brudgers
Clojure. It's funnel is filled with people who solve the seriously complex
real world problems that live on the JVM. Because learning Clojure requires
the sort of investment that professional programmers make because they are
professional and because Clojure attracts people who are attracted to lisps,
it tends to filter out people who are just interested in lines of code for a
paycheck.

Big pipeline through a highly selective filter.

------
CyberFonic
I think it still would be Python. Can't think of any language that has leap-
frogged the Python that Paul Graham described back 11 years ago.

~~~
dottrap
From how I interpret the linked article, it's not about language features, but
the willingness of people to embrace/challenge better ideas that might not be
mainstream.

    
    
        And people don't learn Python because it will get them a job; they learn it because they genuinely like to program and aren't satisfied with the languages they already know.
    

I might suggest Haskell (re-emergent of pure functional, but statically typed)
and Go (improved type system but without resorting to language lawyering and
re-emergence of coroutines (besides Lua)).

~~~
spacemanmatt
That pretty much covers why I elected to pick up Go and Clojure lately. I
actually love programming, and my old tools were feeling rusty.

