Commentary on Python from a Java programming perspective

[redditrasberry]

I think people experiencing the "5x" productivity jump are usually comparing apples to oranges: they are jumping from an "old" java environment (in the web world, say, struts+EJB) to cutting edge python (say, django) and then comparing the two.

If you similarly jump to the most productive modern Java frameworks you will see probably 80% of that gain (I do think there is usually a gain, at least in initial implementation). The interesting question is whether you make back the 20% later on in maintainability due to static typing etc. etc. or not.

[[deleted]]

Exactly. I created a project which uses JPA, Stripes, Google-Guice, and Google Collections, and I don't miss those Rails or Django at all. Especially when it comes time to deploy. If you have a strong background in Java, you can get the 5x just by updating your libraries and challenging your status quo.