Python has joined the growing ranks of officially-supported languages on Heroku's polyglot platform, going into public beta this week. Python was the most-requested language for Heroku, and it brings with it the Django web framework. InfoQ spoke briefly with Adam Wiggins.
Adam views Python as a "quietly successful language unlike node for instance which is making a lot of noise" . He adds in his post:
the Python community has its own unique character. Python has a culture which finds an ideal balance between fast-moving innovation and diligent caution. It emphasizes readability, minimizes "magic," treats documentation as a first-class concern, and has a traditon of well-tested, backward-compatible releases in both the core language and its ecosystem of libraries. It blends approachability for beginners with maintainability for large projects, which has enabled its presence in fields as diverse as scientific computing, video games, systems automation, and the web.
For Adam, Python fostered the development of modern web frameworks, with Zope and Plone. These frameworks introduced concepts like separation of business and display logic via view templating, ORMs for database interaction, and test-driven development were built into Zope 5 years before Rails was born. The main reason why they have not been successful in the market is their complexity and a steep learning curve while being way ahead of their time. Eventually, and despite the initial lack of involvement of the Python community, Django emerged as a strong competitor to rails. Another successful framework is Flask, a microframwork for Phython, which is using Heroku's platform as part of the beta program.
Adam is very enthusiast about Python:
We anticipate that Python will be one of the most-used languages on the Heroku platform, and are overjoyed to welcome our Python brothers and sisters into the fold.
Just like any Heroku language, Python has access to all the platform addons. In particular a large choice of databases. PostgreSQL is free and Adam adds "superior to MySQL", however MySQL is the most popular.
Are you or do you plan on using Python? for what kind of applications?