Ian Bicking has written a piece arguing that Python advocates entitled Why Web Programming Matters Most. His argument is that making Python better for Web programmers is the single most important thing they can do to market Python, and as a Python dabbler, I find it difficult to disagree.

I come at this argument as a Java developer with extensive Perl and limited PHP experience. I want the speed of development I can get with Perl and PHP but the object-oriented focus of Java, and the two number one choices out there in terms of languages are Python and Ruby. I’ve dabbled with Python for years, but I have never jumped into it with both feet. And now I’ve gone out and bought a book on Ruby and plan on implementing a Ruby-based weblog application. I have no idea whether Ruby is a better language than Python (both have some really neat constructs, Python strikes me as a bit cleaner). What I do know is that there’s a Ruby story out there for people like me, and it’s called Ruby on Rails. If I go to Google and ask, “What’s the best approach for writing a CRUD application in Python?” how long will it take me to find an answer?

Maybe there’s a great alternative to Ruby on Rails in the Python world, but I don’t know what it is. Ruby on Rails is winning the hype war, and the fact that it wins the technical battles is taken on faith.