Corporate Culture Drives Python – Dynamic Language Adoption

Bruce Eckel, a well known Java and Flex author, in an interview with InfoQ talks of why he prefers to work with companies that use Python. He says…

The main reason that I started writing a Python book was that I realized the consulting work that I’ve enjoyed the most has been with companies who have already decided they wanted to use Python (I suspect the same is true with other dynamic languages, but my experience has been with Python).

My general experience is that a corporate culture that supports the use of Python is highly likely to be fun and satisfying to work with. One that insists on using a language because of the “directing” features (which people who are less politic call “bondage and discipline” features) is more likely to be driven to reduce risks than to explore and experiment. Risk reduction is certainly appropriate in many situations, but I’ve discovered that it’s not what makes me happy. Rapid experimentation and exploring boundaries is what makes me happy, and in my experience companies that have chosen Python seem to be more prone to that, so those are the companies I want to work with now.

src – infoq.com

This brings up an interesting question. Are scripting languages growing in popularity because they are being used by younger and cooler companies; while languages like Java are no longer buzzing because they are being used by anybody and everybody in the somewhat boring IT giants?