I'd have to respectfully disagree with you there. If I want to do scientific calculations I'll have several prerequisites, which normally either fall under speed of execution, or reliability/accuracy. For either of those, I wouldn't choose python, and I don't think most academics would either.
Java and C are clearly the most popular programming languages, however. C is used for everything. Even PHP is built using C. And Java is used by millions of organisations around the world (NASA for one), and in our mobile phones etc.
Haha... Respectfully, I don't think I understand your disagreement. I am especially worried that you think that there are problems with Python's reliability and accuracy. There is certainly no cause for concern there. Python can use double point precision (which is more than precise enough for any practical purposes) and is far less prone to failure due to minor errors.
It is true that C/C++ modules are used in some special cases. But generally those are developed and are meant to handle things that require an especially high degree of optimization. For everyday computing, almost everything is done in either Python or Matlab. At least in my experience, and the experience of my friends.
~Tim
PS. I think that this discussion highlights the point we have been trying to make: the popularity of languages is going to vary vastly depending on your target audience.
08-29-2009, 10:08 PM
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