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Nim actually has LLVM support via nlvm
https://github.com/arnetheduck/nlvm
It's not officially blessed, but it does work.
I feel like nim[0] should replace python as it matures, but I would be curious to hear others perspectives, since mine is mainly based on reading.
[0]: https://nim-lang.org/
> Npm, as much as it annoys me, is light-years ahead of anything in python.
Hence PEP 582:
> This PEP proposes to add to Python a mechanism to automatically recognize a __pypackages__ directory and prefer importing packages installed in this location over user or global site-packages. This will avoid the steps to create, activate or deactivate “virtual environments”. Python will use the __pypackages__ from the base directory of the script when present.
https://peps.python.org/pep-0582/
I haven’t tried it yet, but there’s already a PEP 582-compatible dependency manager: PDM https://pdm.fming.dev/
2. ipython repl
1. pairs with jaimebuelta's artistic vs engineering dichotomy, but also plays into the scientist wearing many more hats than just programmer. Code can be two or more degrees removed from the published paper -- code isn't the passion. There isn't reason, time, or motivation to think deeply about syntax.
2. For a lot of academic work, the programming language is primarily an interface to an advanced plotting calculator. Or at least that's how I think about the popularity of SPSS and Stata. Ipython and then jupyter made this easy for python.
For what it's worth, the lab I work for is mostly using shell, R, matlab, and tiny bit of python. For numerical analysis, I like R the best. It has a leg up on the interactive interface and feels more flexible than the other two. R also has better stats libraries. But when we need to interact with external services or file formats, python is the place to look (why PyPI beat out CPAN is similar question).
Total aside: Perl's built in regexp syntax is amazing and a thing I reach for often, but regular expressions as a DSL are supported almost everywhere (like using languages other than shell to launch programs and pipes -- totally find but misses all the ergonomics of using the right tool for the job). It'd love to explore APL as an analogous numerical DSL across scripting languages. APL.jl [0] and, less practically april[1], are exciting.
[0] https://github.com/shashi/APL.jl
there are package managers for C and C++, but people aren't told about them.
https://conan.io/