Why and how Python surpassed Java?

The future will be enlightened with the development in Python. Because of Python really easy and interesting programming language. Java and Python are the best languages for purposes.

Though, the strength of any programming language depends on the areas in which it is used.

But the question is - Has Python surpassed Java?

Maybe - Yes!

Nobody can deny that both Python and Java are high-level programming languages. But Python is an interpreted programming language. Python continues to grow in popularity year over year. The developers have to use operating system-specific Python interpreters to execute the Python code directly. They even have the option to choose from several implementations of the programming language.

Many years ago a lot of formal education program switched from C and C++ (or Pascal or Ada, etc) to Java for introductory programming courses.

Now switching to Python, pushing Java into the role of an enterprise language used only for large and complex applications where the development overhead can be justified to some degree.  Informal education programs are also favoring Python as the first “real world” application language that people are introduced to. OLPC chose Python, as did RaspberryPI which is the most Readability one.

Python’s real strengths have long been server-side technology, software development by non-programmers and as an embedded scripting engine for trusted plugins and in those areas, it’s still powering ahead.

Python is a more productive language than Java. Python is an interpreted language with elegant syntax and makes it a very good option for scripting and rapid application development in many areas.

Python is a dynamically typed programming language where there is no necessity of declaring variables whereas Java is a statically typed programming language wherein variables are to be explicitly declared.

Python code is much shorter, even though some Java “class shell” is not listed. This might be one reason why Python can be more productive.

There are a lot of string related functions in Python which is as good as or better than Java.

In python, when you extend a base class, there is no requirement such as defining an explicit constructor for the implicit super constructor.

There are a lot of classes we need to import to simply read a file and we have to handle the exception thrown by some methods. In Python, it is just two lines.

In multimedia development, Python will be a core part of your toolset, and Python is the key open source competitor to proprietary toolsets in the scientific community. The Natural Language Toolkit is a hugely powerful resource for many data mining applications, and Python is entwined deeply into the core of the financial sector as well.

Python’s strength really lies in its ability to step away from traditional web technologies. Python also has many web framework options, like Pyramid and Flask, that let you be more easily be selective in your choice of components than Django does.

Let's see the key difference in Python and Java

• Python gives you a lot of freedom and responsibility. On the other hand, Java gives you less freedom, but also less room to make mistakes and poor design choices.

• Python is a programming language that boasts a gentler learning curve, and a more intuitive coding style.

• Java is a strongly typed language, while Python is not. Basically, Java does not allow the data type of a variable to be changed, while Python does.

• Python allows you to assign a string to a variable that once held an integer value. This is not possible with Java, and you need to define a variable for each one with the correct type.

• Python is much simpler to use and more compact than Java. It is generally easier to learn, and more forgiving when it comes to using shortcuts like reusing an old variable. Python code is a bit easier to read and understand than Java.

• Python has a short learning curve and has tons of modules that do any job for you. It is less verbose than Java with a great community which is always ready to help.

• Java programs run more slowly than Python programs.

• Python has 1,637 user groups in 191 cities and 37 countries with more than 860,000 members. The language has events as well, including PyCon and PyLadies for women to meet and code together.

• The developers have the option to choose from over 130000 Python packages including graphical user interface, database, multimedia, web frameworks, testing frameworks, automation, system administration, text processing, image processing, and scientific computing.

• Python is used widely by enterprises for scientific computing, big data, and artificial intelligence projects.

• In Java, statements need the semicolon to end. On the other side, in python, statement do not need a semicolon to end.

• In Java you must define a particular block using curly braces without it code won’t work. And In python, you have never seen a sight of curly braces but indentation is mandatory in python. Indentation also improves readability of code.

• Python has less legacy problem.

• Python has always had an existence in the talent space and has the popularity for many reasons including Data Science and DevOps movement.

Python’s future is looking very, very bright from where we see and assume that its future is assured. Python is far from perfect, and the same can be said for the ecosystem around us. So yes, there are plenty of areas where Python should probably will, improve. If the current trend continues, Python will become the most sought-after language and overtake the number of jobs requiring its knowledge in the next two or three years.

Let us know - What do you think about Python? You can share your experiences with us in the comment section. Thank you!