Java vs Python

Question

Which is better, Java or Python? Why?

Answer 1

Depends!

Java is probably more widely used, but not necessarily the best choice. If you are free to choose (which in real life people rarely are, because of legacy code, company strategies, university curricula, or simply availability on target machines), you should consider:

• Frameworks/libraries: Does a particular framework or library exist, which fits your needs? Do you have to use a free library, or can you spend money on a commercial product?
• Performance: Are there performance restrictions that require a compiler language? Are there perhaps "soft" performance expectations by the customer?
• Language-task fit: Do you have a task that can more simply or more expressively be solved in one language or another?
• Language features: Do you need specific language features (e.g., regular expressions), which one language supports better than the other?
• Personal experience. Do you need excessive ramp-up time in one language, maybe because your knowledge in one language is significantly better than in the other?