python is kudzu, let's plant golang instead


yes, crazy title, i know, but hear me out.
let me just start with my "pain points" of using python.

pain point 1: dependency management


here's a common scenario:
i make a script. its cool; im an avid uv[1] user, dependency management is easy.
but my coworker doesn't. my coworker uses one of the other bajillion dependency managers. or, worse yet, my other coworker uses raw pip and a requirements file. just freeballing it. im too lazy to package their work for them, so i try and use pip. my keyboard catches on fire. hell takes me.

pain point 2: no static type checking


here's yet another common scenario:
i make a python script. it's neat.
my script requires some new features. not too bad, it's <100 lines, so not bad at all.
my script grows, and grows, and grows, until those 100 lines turned into 50k.
i make a change somewhere. all the tests past. i run the code. after waiting a few painful seconds of startup, a big fat, threatening type error shoots my spirits dead. i wade through the various type errors and the cycle continues.

explanation: python is kudzu



kudzu...is a group of...vines...[which] is invasive in many parts of the world.
the vine densely climbs over other plants and trees and grows so rapidly that it smothers and kills them.
-wikipedia[0]

i've been doing some learning about botany, and i've realized that python fits the description of an invasive species perfectly.
see, python is the perfect scripting language.
i mean it. seriously. it's so low-friction to use; just write a script in a language that is basically pseudo-code anyways. but it's structured enough to provide that complexity when you need it. it's not bash; you don't have to deal with the weird-ness of a language meant for the shell, and yet it's ease of use makes scripting in it dead-simple.
that ease of use has allowed python to "grow out of its garden", so to speak. while other languages struggle to grow from a seed of an idea to a full bloom project, a python project grows faster than you can blink.
and therein lies the problem. it grows so fast, that by the time you're ready to do some maintance, you realize that the kudzu has taken over the whole forest. there's no structure, there's no ecosystem. just kudzu.
in non-metaphor speak, a python project tends to grow in such a way where the same things that allow frictionless development become a detriment. no static typing is great when you want to rename some files in a directory, but it sucks when you want to get rid of the easiest class of bugs through basic static analysis. a global dependency manager is great when you're first scripting and want a library to color text, but it becomes a major pain when you want to distribute your project. not worrying about compiling is a joy, until you realize that your docker containers are half a gb due to needing a whole runtime.

an easy alternative: golang


i think golang is a nice alternative. its not as frictionless as python, but its growth is so much more structured, in a way that lends itself nicely to "real" (aka non-scripting) projects.

pain relief 1: dependency management


i create a new project in golang.
i want a new dependency. i get war flashbacks from dealing with pip.
i realize that golang dependencies are automatically sandboxed per-project.
i let out a sigh of relief.

pain relief 2:


i make a change in my project.
automatically my editor figures out type errors for me. even without an editor, i just build the project without running anything.
i breathe easy knowing that my project doesnt do any weird type-stuff. i avoid a whole class of errors.
life is good.

explanation: golang is a sycamore tree


(disclaimer: i've reached the end of my knowledge of botany).
see, unlike python, a go project tends to have more moderate growth. it's not as frictionless. but, you trade some initial complexity with future gains. a go project tends to grow gracefully, and you avoid so many of python's pain points.
you also get some added benefits:
i could go on and on.
seriously, try golang, it's awesome. put python back in its garden and cultivate a real forest instead.

links




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