Python is not a terrible language. It's widely used in reputable organizations by highly informed and capable software engineers to great effect. Generic language criticism in 2024 is an anti-pattern that intellectually hinders new engineers. There are certainly preferences for different use cases and highlighting those differences are productive discussion.
For Example: One of the most common technical concern points to bring to a new engineer is the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) that restricts Python to execute in one thread only.
Research on PL design is alive and well in 2024, and Python is nowhere near the cutting edge. I never said it didn't get the job done, or that people shouldn't learn or use it.
It's just not as elegant or simple of a PL design as people sometimes seem to think it is. It's hard to look at something like Clojure or Haskell next to Python and to come to the conclusion that python is particularly elegant.
I think my main point got lost on people who took offense to my dislike for python: my main point is that you should also learn languages that are very different / that are in an altogether different branch.
You: If these tools are not ideal, what is a better tool?
Parent: I won't tell you. I just simply criticize online and provide no technical guidance, instead I gatekeep my definition of quality tooling. I think being a good senior expert does not include showing best practices I have developed through my years of experience.
You: Oh. Then I don't want to listen to you because I'm more interested in making personal progress on my professional journey than listening to uninitiated opinions provided without context.
Languages aren't just good or bad in the abstract. It's about problem-tool fit. The author mentions a specific field and evaluates the fit of R and Python. Do you believe there is a language with better fit to Bioinformatics? I'd like to hear your recommendation.
> Languages aren't just good or bad in the abstract.
I don't know about that. There's certainly no "perfect" language, but to claim that python is brilliant or elegant language design is to not know a whole log about PL design.
I think I'm mainly getting downvoted because Python is popular, and people think that means it must be inherently good.
For Example: One of the most common technical concern points to bring to a new engineer is the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) that restricts Python to execute in one thread only.