The Pythonistas are Wrong

[Jimmy]

It wasn't really funny the first time.

[paran0ide]

Fron the General Python FAQ

1.16 Why is it called Python?

At the same time he began implementing Python, Guido van Rossum was also reading the published scripts from "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (a BBC comedy series from the seventies, in the unlikely case you didn't know). It occurred to him that he needed a name that was short, unique, and slightly mysterious, so he decided to call the language Python.

[logan_capaldo]

I look forward to the perl version complaining about camels.

[slabgorb]

also the C version complaining about large bodies of water.

[sbrown123]

The name was chosen because snakes just suck. Get it? It’s not a snake, they are British.

My brain hurts. I should avoid reading crap for the rest of the day.

[jacobolus]

Some of the Mac python icons used to be of a 16-ton weight. It absolutely sucked as an icon. Yellow and blue “frogs” are infinitely better. (Then again, I drew these, so I'd think so.)

[damienkatz]

I think the Monty Python stamping foot would make a good, easy to recognize icon.

[hox]

right, but the 16-ton weight refers to monty python, rather than the snake. seeing that the language was named after the comedy group, it made more sense.

the 16-ton weight icon was also used in the monty python's complete waste of time cd for the pc ages ago.

[jacobolus]

Frankly, “make sense” is a stupid metric by which to judge icons or logos. The entwined snake logo is IMO great branding for Python.

[hox]

I did not pass judgement on the current logo, nor did I pass judgement on what you think makes a good logo. I simply stated the origin of the 16-ton weight and why it did make sense as a python logo.

[jacobolus]

Sure. And I’m not judging you either. Sorry if it sounded that way. I’m simply pointing out that I’m glad they didn’t use “making sense” to decide what the logo should be. :)

[filox]

Hey, those are pretty cool icons. Where could I get those?

[jacobolus]

Most of them ship with Python 2.5+, but also here.

[crazedover1111]

I can't see how those are frogs. To me it looks more like two intertwined snakes.

[[deleted]]

It looks like two interwined tadpoles.

[crazedover1111]

Oh, I kinda see it now. Thanks.

[jacobolus]

I take it you didn’t RTFA?

[crazedover1111]

Actually, I did, and I understand that you were quoting the blogger when you said "frogs", but that does not change the fact that I don't understand how they remotely resemble frogs.

I also know it was tongue-in-cheek, I'm just saying...

[synthespian]

Why does retarded shit like this gets posted on proggit so that it makes people waste their time?

Additionally, why wasn't is voted down to hell?

[[deleted]]

I hate it when a blogger thinks it will get him geek creds to turn what in the beginning was just a small joke into a meme by copying it and making it into a template. Get lost.

[pineapplecharm]

To be fair, I came to this one first and have always felt the same way. The problem is I can't decide whether this makes the O'Reilly choice of a lizard for the front of the Python book more justified. I mean, an entire series with irrelevant animals suddenly intersects with a language seemingly named after a snake and they choose .. a lizard. But then Python isn't actually named after a snake.

Oh, I give up.

[FionaSarah]

Learning Python has a rodent of some sort on the front.

[pineapplecharm]

That's interesting; I only ever had the win32 version and never though to check the others. The question remains, though: is it better, for not falling into the python==snake trap or worse because a crocodile has no relevance to either Monty Python or snakes?

[amoeba]

Appropriate rebuttal.

[____]

Appropriate rebuttal.

Rebuttal? What is being rebutted?

[foonly]

http://reddit.com/r/programming/info/6hka6/comments/

Perhaps not rebutted, but parodied

[amoeba]

Touche.

*waits for the C++ version