For the past couple of years, we’ve been monitoring and reporting on the rapid growth in popularity of Python, the scripting language used by Orchid Extender. You may remember these news articles:
- Sep-2017: Python’s rapid growth gives a boost to Orchid Extender
- Aug-2018: Extender benefits from Python’s inexorable rise to No 1
The latest high-profile industry surveys show that Python’s rise has continued unabated. StackOverflow recently released the results of their 2019 Developer Survey. With over 90,000 responders it is regarded as the world’s largest and most comprehensive survey of coders. First on their list of key findings is that:
Python, the fastest-growing major programming language, has risen in the ranks of programming languages in our survey yet again, edging out Java…
Others are taking note as well. The authoritative TIOBE Index named Python as their programming language of the year for 2018, in what some are referring to as “The Year of the Snake”. This ZDNet article remarked on Python’s emergence as Top 3 language, commenting that:
Python is now becoming increasingly ubiquitous, and a top choice at universities…as well as in industry. The key to its popularity is it’s easy to learn, install, and deploy.
Why Extender & Python?
Steve from Orchid was recently asked to articulate why Sage 300 partners should be using Extender scripts written in Python for Sage 300 customizations, as opposed to in-house development in other coding languages. His response included the following:
Why Python?
- The fastest growing major programming language
- The top tool for application development
- The language most developers want to learn
- Taught extensively in schools and universities
- Extensive online resources to get up to speed
- Open Source, and has thousands of free libraries
- Python focuses on readability
Why Extender + Python?
- Code is held in the Sage 300 database, so nothing goes missing (e.g. it dumps and loads)
- You can protect your code by making it read-only or hidden (Extender v2019 PU6)
- You can use Python to subclass and create new Views. Without this you need a C++ and Sage 300 SDK expert.
- VBA now has issues running unattended on newer versions of Microsoft Operating Systems. This is not the case with Python.
- Customising Sage 300 screens the traditional way requires a recompile for every product update and new version. This is not the case with Extender’s Python screen scripts.
