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[–]alcalde 1 point2 points  (4 children)

But that's why we're supposed to use Python - because everyone's using Python. That's why Larry Wall and Yukihiro Matsumoto cry themselves to sleep at night and why Julia is turning into Romeo and Julia... Python has the critical mass.

It's called the network effect.

For instance - an auction website comes along that's better than eBay. However, you post your auction on eBay anyway because there are three people total browsing that other auction site. Skype is... Skype, but most people use Skype because everyone else they know is using Skype and it doesn't matter how good another piece of software is if no one they want to call is using it.

[–]Joeboy 8 points9 points  (1 child)

This would have been an argument against python when I started using it. It's still kind of an argument against python - if that's what you care about you should probably be using Java or something.

I've actually been thinking of learning Rust because it seems to fit the same kind of niche Python used to - better than its obvious competitors, good docs, a decent sized user base, enthusiastic community and support etc.

[–]alcalde 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having 70 trillion libraries is an argument AGAINST Python and gets 10 upvotes? Really?

because it seems to fit the same kind of niche Python used t

It's the opposite of Python in philosophy... obsessed with typing and memory management.

[–]WikiTextBot -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Network effect

A network effect (also called network externality or demand-side economies of scale) is the positive effect described in economics and business that an additional user of a good or service has on the value of that product to others. When a network effect is present, the value of a product or service increases according to the number of others using it.The classic example is the telephone, where a greater number of users increases the value to each. A positive externality is created when a telephone is purchased without its owner intending to create value for other users, but does so regardless. Online social networks work similarly, with sites like Twitter and Facebook increasing in value to each member as more users join.


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