If they succeed, Python might have a bright long future after all

Python is slow. It’s one of the slowest programming languages that ever existed. If languages like C, C++, and Rust were hares, then Python wouldn’t even be a hedgehog. Python is a big old snail.

I’m not saying this to throw shame on Python. Most developers don’t care whether their code executes in 12 milliseconds or in 56. This time difference won’t make them late for lunch.

Testament to this carelessness about Python’s speed are the popularity statistics. In the TIOBE index, Python ranks at about the same popularity as C or C++. The PYPL index puts Python at four times the popularity that C or C++ enjoy. According to Google Trends, Python is about three times as popular as its competitors. And on StackOverflow, people ask five times more questions about Python than about C++, and eight times more than about C.

Most developers don’t care so much about runtime speeds as they do about ease of coding. Read More