Python 3 Adoption

Python 3 is the first backward-incompatible version of the Python programming language. This incompatibility was intentional and necessary in order to fix a number of issues with Python 2. However, there are a number of Python developers who aren't happy with the changes introduced in Python 3. These complaints are reflected in the seemingly poor adoption of the next-generation Python. This didn't exactly come as a surprise to the creators of Python 3. This is why support for Python 2 will continue for years to come.

I'll admit, I wasn't exactly elated that Python 3 wouldn't be compatible with Python 2 applications. Who would be? You've spent months or years working out intricacies to yield a stable Python 2 application. This incompatibility would dictate that you throw it all away. Well, maybe not exactly, there are upgrading utilities to help convert Python 2 code to Python 3 code. Obviously this isn't going to fix the larger problem of not having supporting frameworks and libraries.

The selection of available Python 3 packages on pypi is slim but growing. Some important web application frameworks like Django and Twisted are missing. Developers that rely on these frameworks obviously aren't going to adopting Python 3 anytime soon. So why aren't these frameworks adopting Python 3? Because it is hard. It isn't exactly trivial to build a well-established, stable framework even in Python 2 which has been around for a while. Most of these frameworks will be Python 3 based at some point in the future while others probably have no intention of adoption.

In the mean time, write some Python 3 code that doesn't rely on frameworks. This is probably the best way to get familiar with the language. If you know another Python developer, show them some cool things you get working in Python 3. Also show them stuff that doesn't work. This all leads to more Python 3 code coming into existence. This could be a good opportunity to write a new framework for Python 3. Remember, there are many benefits brought about by the changes made in Python 3 that outweigh the familiarity of constructs you're used to using in Python 2.

The New Javascript

It appears that the ECMA organization has approved the new ECMAScript 5, otherwise known as javascript, standard. It has been ten years since an adopted change to the standard has been made. However, this hasn't stopped web applications from evolving to something that resembles the desktop more and more with each passing year.

The ECMA plans to submit the newly adopted javascript standard as an ISO standard. I think this would be a very good move, especially if web browser vendors decide to stick to the standard.

Aside from the javascript standardization front, there have also been some new features introduced. For instance, javascript objects, or JSON objects, will be able to operate in an immutable mode if chosen to do so. This is could prove useful for working with javascript objects that are returned from an API and aren't intended to be manipulated. Also, the javascript interpreter itself will be able to operate in a strict more that is less forgiving toward malformed-syntax. This will be a blessing for developers that don't feel at ease with deployed javascript that may or may not be well-formed; it may or may not work in some browsers.