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Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2019 23:32:51 -0400
Cc: PHP internals <internals@lists.php.net>
To: Olumide Samson <oludonsexy@gmail.com>
Subject: PHP's declining(?) popularity
From: mikeschinkel@gmail.com (Mike Schinkel)

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> On Sep 14, 2019, at 5:18 PM, Olumide Samson <oludonsexy@gmail.com> =
wrote:
>=20
> https://jaxenter.com/php-tiobe-sept-2019-162096.html
> I think this is one of those things we get from voting no...
>=20
> I might be wrong anyways :-?

If those specific rankings are legitimately a cause for concern then it =
would make sense to do some objective analysis to determine why the =
languages that are growing marketshare are growing.=20

=46rom the list it seems Python stands out as having the most growth as =
a percentage.

Googling for "why has python become so popular" I get these articles. =20=


I have copied their top level points but also included the text for the =
one point they all seem to have in common, that Python is simple, easy =
to use and easy to learn for new users (emphasis mine in all cases):

=
https://medium.com/@trungluongquang/why-python-is-popular-despite-being-su=
per-slow-83a8320412a9 =
<https://medium.com/@trungluongquang/why-python-is-popular-despite-being-s=
uper-slow-83a8320412a9>
1. End-users just don=E2=80=99t care (about slower performance)
2. More Productive
"First and foremost reason why Python is much popular because it is =
highly productive as compared to other programming languages like C++ =
and Java. It is much more concise and expressive language and requires =
less time, effort, and lines of code to perform the same operations. The =
Python features like one-liners and dynamic type system allow developers =
to write very fewer lines of code for tasks that require more lines of =
code in other languages. This makes Python very easy-to-learn =
programming language even for beginners and newbies. For instance, =
Python programs are slower than Java, but they also take very less time =
to develop, as Python codes are 3 to 5 times shorter than Java codes. =
Python is also very famous for its simple programming syntax, code =
readability and English-like commands that make coding in Python lot =
easier and efficient."
3. Execution Speed does not matter as much as Business Speed


=
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2017/07/6-reasons-python-suddenly-super-popular.=
html =
<https://www.kdnuggets.com/2017/07/6-reasons-python-suddenly-super-popular=
.html>
1. Python Has a Healthy, Active and Supportive Community
2. Python Has Some Great Corporate Sponsors
3. Python Has Big Data
4. Python Has Amazing Libraries
5. Python Is Reliable and Efficient
6. Python Is Accessible
"For newcomers and beginners, Python is incredibly easy to learn and =
use. In fact, it=E2=80=99s one of the most accessible programming =
languages available. Part of the reason is the simplified syntax with an =
emphasis on natural language. But it=E2=80=99s also because you can =
write Python code and execute it much faster."

=
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-python-is-so-popular-with-develop=
ers-3-reasons-the-language-has-exploded/ =
<https://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-python-is-so-popular-with-develo=
pers-3-reasons-the-language-has-exploded/>

1. Ease of learning
"Python is the closest language to what I call 'an instant gratification =
language,' meaning with very little code, it can accomplish so much, =
even if you are a novice programmer," said Karen Panetta, an IEEE Fellow =
and Dean of Graduate Engineering at Tufts University. "This is because =
Python reads like English, which makes it more conducive for a broad =
level of user audiences to learn. Many of the 'nerdy' low-level details =
we used to worry about in other languages, such as declaring types of =
variables or arguments, are handled by Python, so it makes programming =
very flexible and easier to use than other languages."
2. The explosion of AI, machine learning, and data science in the =
enterprise
3. A large developer community


=
https://www.skillsoft.com/blog/2018/06/top-5-reasons-why-python-is-so-popu=
lar/ =
<https://www.skillsoft.com/blog/2018/06/top-5-reasons-why-python-is-so-pop=
ular/>

1. Python is efficient
2. Python has an active community
3. Python is simple
"With a shorter learning curve than other languages, say Java or C++, =
and understandable and readable syntax, you don=E2=80=99t need to be a =
programmer to start applying Python to everyday tasks. Python =
automatically takes care of things like garbage collection and even =
closes files, opened via the =E2=80=98with=E2=80=99 statement, for you. =
People starting out may also find the use of indentation to signify the =
start and end of loops, functions, classes and code blocks easier than =
tracking down the traditional opening and closing curly braces."
4. Python is in academia
5. Python is on trend

=
https://eplexity.com/6-reasons-the-python-programming-language-is-so-popul=
ar/ =
<https://eplexity.com/6-reasons-the-python-programming-language-is-so-popu=
lar/>

1. Ease of use
"Since its creation in the late 1980s by Guido van Rossum, Python has =
been specifically designed to be a general-purpose language. The =
simplicity of Python, and its easily human-readable syntax are two =
reasons why the language is so popular among seasoned coding =
professionals and Computer Science 101 students alike. Python is also an =
interpreted language, which means that you can quickly experiment with =
changes to the code base."
2. Supportive community
3. Corporate sponsors
4. Libraries and frameworks
5. Use in big data and machine learning
6. Efficiency

Notice in none of these articles is there any mention of static typing =
or strictness or correctness as an attribute that the authors think =
contributes to why Python is gaining success. =20

So my takeaway would be that if we wanted to see PHP start gaining =
marketshare again we should focus on features that make it easier to use =
and spend less time on trying to raise the bar for the skill level it =
will take to program in PHP8.

#jmtcw

-Mike

P.S. Other ways to grow market share could be to:

1. Strive to support data science in a major way
2. Run on Single Board Computers like Raspberry Pi
3. Run a CLI via a single executable (i.e. package PHP runtime and PHAR =
files together so PHP scripts could be distributed without requiring a =
correctly installed version of PHP)

4. Empower developers to create cross-platform desktop, also contained =
with a single executable
5. Empower developers to create cross-platform mobile apps
6. Pursue corporate sponsors (too bad the Facebook ship already sailed.)

7. Find ways to get PHP taught in academia
8. Put more effort into driving adoption for PSRs like  6,7, 11, 14, 15, =
16, 18 and in identifying and releasing more.
9. Strive to make PHP the best solution for AWS Lamba and other =
serverless solutions

10. Embrace all of userland PHP by giving them a voice in the direction =
of PHP, instead of limiting that voice to only those currently with a =
vote via phpinternals.

Of course just because I included it in the list above does not mean the =
PHP team needs to pursue (any of) them.  I am just pointing out areas =
where I think PHP could see some growth if PHP pursued it.

Also, any of the above would require the PHP internals community to join =
together for the common-good rather than taking no-comprised positions =
that each seek one person's view of PHP perfection while blocking =
everything else.=20

IMO anyway.








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