The Future Is Bright

Author

Talk by Jesse Noller

  • PSF Member
  • Pycon Chair

Intro

  • Aimed at all communities.
  • “Kids are okay”.

What is Python?

Who uses Python

  • Everyone.
  • Scales up to 100k users, to a script to calculate budget.
  • Easy to teach. Fits in head. Scales up well, and scales down.

Where is the language

  • ~123 accepted PEPs.
  • ~80 builtin functions
  • ~285 documented modules.

What’s the Future?

  • 2.7 is the last release of 2.x
  • Py3k
  • Proposals for Coroutines, async IO, cofunctions, daemon, asyncIO for subprocess, OS and Exception heirarchy.

What should Python be?

  • Should be the Borg, by borrowing the good ideas from other languages.
  • Ease of use, simplicity.
  • Adopt, but make it Pythonic.
  • Must continue to look outside the language

Things Jesse Wants

  • Communication (messaging)
  • Lightweight processes
  • Actors.
  • Gevent, libevent,

What we need

  • Cleaner, more Pythonic APIs.
  • Don’t leak.
  • Balance advanced users versus keeping it simple.
  • Modernize standard library.
  • Python is a conservative language. Doesn’t blaze the path.
  • Core language must be able to fit in one’s head.

Interpreters

  • Pypy
    • It’s fast. blazingly fast.
    • Magic in the RPython.
  • CPython
    • It’s the cockroach.
    • Simple, uncomplicated C code.
    • Battle tested.

Predictions

  • Pypy will become the dominant interpreter. CPython won’t die, and it will be reliable.
  • PyPy, CPython, Jython, and ironPython are BFFs.

Python3

  • Keep Calm, and Carry On.
  • Python is over 21 years old.
  • 5 years is nothing for migrating a community so big.

Community

  • Cannot afford to be idle.
  • Cannot be hostile, but welcoming.
  • Get involved locally.
  • Be open to criticism, especially constructive.
  • Look through the pile of vitrol, to find the core of truth.