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Discussion on: Pitch me on Python

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Matt Ellen

I use python every day, a lot. I can't tell you if it's better than any other scripting language, but it is good and easy to use.

Package management is better than npm, but that's the only comparison I can make

If you like class based object orient programming, it has that, and its syntax is nice and concise.

You can also use it procedurally, no need for a wrapper class.

It's duck typing means unit testing is easy.

Monkey patching is probably to be avoided, due to how unpredictable it can make things.

It's implemented on multiple architectures, as well as in multiple frameworks (Jython and IronPython spring to mind), so you can run it on most systems as well as embed it in applications as a way to script the app.

There are so many libraries built in as well as third party, so if you need to do something in python there's almost certainly someone who has an example you can crib from.

I would say its main downsides are it can seem a little slow (although I don't usually notice), and it's Global Interpreter Lock means you can never leverage the advantages of a multithreaded environment.