Re:Will Python suffer the same fate as Perl?
by benj111 on Tuesday February 05, 2019 @06:08AM
(#19084274)
"better suited for short scripts"
I certainly don't disagree with this, perl was basically designed as a shell scripting replacement as far as I was aware.
It's an interesting dynamic to think about though. Would perl have been as successful if it hadn't have been as good for short scripts? I think theres a tendency to try and use the latest language du jour on everything.
The hype cycle labels this as the trough of disillusionment [1]. I don't think its necessarily deadly in isolation, but there are a few factors that came together as you point out.
I think you're maybe underestimating the perl 6 split. Around 2008ish when I was first getting into programming, perl and python were at least neck and neck for mind share. Perl 6 just sucked all the oxygen out of the room as far as perl 5 was concerned, but never actually arrived. Without googling I couldn't even tell you if theres a stable release even now.
I certainly don't disagree with this, perl was basically designed as a shell scripting replacement as far as I was aware.
It's an interesting dynamic to think about though. Would perl have been as successful if it hadn't have been as good for short scripts? I think theres a tendency to try and use the latest language du jour on everything.
The hype cycle labels this as the trough of disillusionment [1]. I don't think its necessarily deadly in isolation, but there are a few factors that came together as you point out.
I think you're maybe underestimating the perl 6 split. Around 2008ish when I was first getting into programming, perl and python were at least neck and neck for mind share. Perl 6 just sucked all the oxygen out of the room as far as perl 5 was concerned, but never actually arrived. Without googling I couldn't even tell you if theres a stable release even now.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype_cycle