Linux dominates the server world AND the entertainment device world (hello busybox & gstreamer!)
[1] Regarding clunkiness of Python: mostly it is the packages, installation, and 2.x vs 3.x nightmare that persists. Everyone seems to forget the initial pain getting the Python env to work, esp. when it comes to cython native compilation issues / arch wheels, unsupported packages, etc. The only issue I have with python is it is extremely challenging to make cross-platform deployments for single-executables. I've tried three different approaches and they were all trainwrecks. Once that is ironed out, I'll be switching from Electron to whatever Python offers.
but that discounts the tens of thousands of projects that are already out there that are in use and need conversion.
it'll take probably 3-5 years for it to really go away.
But I class this as a packaging issue more than a 2.7 vs 3.x issue: you see the same problems with (as a random example...) different versions of OpenCV - people not using virtual environments have problems even if they are all on 3.7.
When I think of the "2.x vs 3.x problems" I was thinking more of the language and core libray level incompatibilities.
The Catalina release notes[1] said they would remove it and I was sure they mentioned it again in this year’s WWDC but apparently it’s still included after all.
[1] “Scripting language runtimes such as Python, Ruby, and Perl are included in macOS for compatibility with legacy software. Future versions of macOS won’t include scripting language runtimes by default, and might require you to install additional packages. If your software depends on scripting languages, it’s recommended that you bundle the runtime within the app.”
I'm honestly not sad that it never happened.
It took over my desktop around ~1998 and I wonder if massive adoption of Linux on the desktop would have benefited me or been worse (from my perspective).
As it stands literally every single tool I want/need to do my job is already available for Linux and indeed many of those tools are simply better on Linux (docker on a mac is horrible, I have a work issued current gen macbook pro, I use it purely for testing docker set-ups and then it goes back in its case).
Its going to sound elitist but not dumbing down the platform for the average user is a benefit to me.
Linux did take over the world, just not on the desktop. It was on servers and mobile, which now have more users than desktops or laptops (edit: servers via the web).
Technology gets its warts fixed when it grows along an explosive new market, especially if the market ends up being larger than the last.
Python is currently riding the data science wave, and that wave is growing. If that market expands to the point where large scale data-science type work wags the dog of VBA/excel, the clunkiness[1] will work itself out.
[1] - I don't actually understand what's clunky about Python in the context of the article. Seems like a reasonable direction in a complex market (reinsurance) driven by actuaries. I'd be surprised if newgrad actuaries/stats people aren't using Python?