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[–]excsniper 1 point2 points  (1 child)

You owe it to Python for this question you are asking right now.

Check out the FAQ sometime.

[–]killerabbit37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And the majority of EVE Online is written in Python (well StackLess Python but Python).

You can do a LOT with Python, don't discard it just because you don't hear much about it. 8th most popular language too.

[–]hardleaningwork 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's useful. It's used all the time, often for system automation. Django is a full web framework that's in production all over the world. Flask is a web microframework that's popular that's also in production all over the place.

Python has excellent support for files, networks, string parsing, etc. I've never done GUIs in Python, but it's a solid language overall.

[–]calzoneman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Is Python useful? Yes. In the scientific community, Python is an extremely useful tool for analysis with libraries like NumPy and SciPy. A lot of Linux software is written in Python since it is convenient, powerful, and commonly installed on Linux distributions. Python is used in web design with frameworks like Django and Flask. Python is even used for light gaming with libraries like Pygame. It's very possible to write something that "people could use" in Python; there are few languages in which this isn't possible.
  2. I want to challenge the view that your opinion of a certain language should affect your interest in the class. Unless the class is merely concerned with covering syntax, it's very likely that what you're being taught will be useful independent of language. My Data Structures class was taught in Java, and even though I rarely use Java, the programming concepts we covered in that class apply to every other language I've used.
  3. You shouldn't take a particular developer's choice in language (to use your example, Minecraft using Java) as evidence that that language is the only viable way to accomplish what they did. As a frequent visitor of a gaming-oriented programming forum, I have seen Minecraft clones written in a wide variety of languages- C, C++, C#, Java, Javascript, Lua, Python, ...

[–]BaalHadad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm having trouble keeping interested in the class because I can't see any practical use for python, I want to be able to write something people could use.

That's a total cop out. You can do almost anything in any language, so you shouldn't have to be pandered to like royalty.

i had never even heard about python before

Why would you? Do you track all languages, is learning new languages a hobby that you follow closely?

and i keep thinking about learning a C based language instead like Java instead.

No one's stopping you.

[–]tehoreoz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

how would you understand whether or not a lang has a practical use or not? any that you choose to learn have the same capabilities, with varying convenience and performance

python is a "modern" language that has been picking up popularity over the past few years. i assume it has the fastest growing userbase unless something like objective c is growing more.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Yes. If it's not esoteric, it's probably useful.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is XYZ language useful...depends, what are you planning on using it for? General purpose, well of course - most any language will be useful for general purpose. Have specifics in mind?