1991 founded Standing
languages · python.org
Python
the moat is real
35 years 181 days and counting
Guido van Rossum, 1991. Named after Monty Python, which is why the docs still joke.
Why it lasted
- It became the second language of every field: science, ops, ML, teaching, glue.
- The packaging story is a mess and people still choose it, which is a kind of proof.
- AI did not replace Python. AI is written in Python.
Times it almost ended
- Perl had the web. Python had readability and a BDFL who eventually stood down without a fork war.
- The Python 2 to 3 split lasted a decade and somehow did not kill the language.
What would finish it
- A faster language with the same libraries and the same teaching pipeline. Not this year.
Questions
Is Python still up?
Yes, with a Standing verdict: the moat is real. Founded 1991.
How long has Python been around?
Python has been up since 1991-02-20.
Why did Python survive?
It became the second language of every field: science, ops, ML, teaching, glue.
Could Python still die?
A faster language with the same libraries and the same teaching pipeline. Not this year.