Module 1 · Introduction to Python · Lesson 3 of 6

Python's rivals

Python isn't the only choice, and it isn't the right choice for everything. It's worth knowing the languages it's most often weighed against — not as enemies, but as tools each suited to a different job.

Notice the pattern: most rivals are specialists. JavaScript owns the browser, C and C++ chase raw performance, R lives in statistics. They each win decisively in their home turf.

Python's edge is the opposite — it's a generalist. It's rarely the absolute fastest at any one thing, but it's good enough at almost everything and pleasant to use throughout. That breadth is exactly what the next lesson is about.