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Stephen Gruppetta
@stephengruppetta.com

Help me crowd-source the Python Index (I'll come up with a better name at some point…) • How easy does Python make it to write good code? • How hard does Python make it to write bad code? The ideal programming language scores (1, 1) Where would you place Python?

2 reposts0 likes

Nathan
@natfu.be

Difficult question. I want to say decent like 0.6-7 in writing good code and not very good against writing bad code (0.4). Python should have immutable data structures by default, fewer ways to do the same thing, a more powerful type system and a better async story. 🫡

bjkeefe
@bjkeefe.bsky.social

I've been thinking about this and I can't put numbers on it. My experience (BASIC, Fortran, C, and various scripting langs, and now Python) makes me think writing good code is mostly a matter of *wanting* to write good code, and also that someone who "just want to get this done" will be able 1/3

bjkeefe
@bjkeefe.bsky.social

2/3 write bad code as easily in Python as any other those others. No question Python makes it easier to write code that is clearer, more expressive, more natural, call it what you like. Not having to get bogged down with pointers and memory mgmt

bjkeefe
@bjkeefe.bsky.social

3/3 are also pluses. Ecosystem also helps, but it's hard to compare, b/c back when I was writing in those other langs, there was very little notion of an ecosystem; IDK if that has changed since. So, if I have to give numbers, I guess (0.7, 0.6)?