October 23, 2009, 9:05 AM — Two weeks ago, the Python Software Foundation (PSF) adopted a "Diversity Statement". As intrinsically important as this is, it intrigues me even more as an example of institutional processes.
It's easy to guess the superficial message that a mass-media outlet would and perhaps will emit on such an occasion: something on the order of, "New language supports minorities".
I guess so. And, if you have little attention to afford, you can do worse than to remember that summary.
Not much worse, though. The real story is considerably richer and more interesting, as generally is true, in my experience, about conventional journalism. First, while Python does appear to be expanding in importance, it's been around longer than Java and C#, for example. Also, although Python creator Guido van Rossum remains active in directing Python, and is even still President of the Board of the PSF, it's only to his credit that Python has grown far beyond his ability to control it closely. The PSF has an international membership and aspiration, but is chartered in the United States. Internal discussions often center on details of US law, because PSF responsibility is largely focused on management of "intellectual property". It's a lot less fun than actually programming, but legal labor contributes to Python's successful colonization of The Enterprise and other novel niches. Keep in mind, however: Python is bigger than any single part. Recent Python conferences in India, Argentina, Texas, and other places far from Python's historical core have been smashing successes, and hint at how far Python exceeds the limit of any one person's ability to understand it.
What's this have to do with diversity? More than will fit in this brief summary. There have been ugly incidents of bigotry in computing's history, and the good and self-interested Python practitioners sincerely want Python programming to operate at a more enlightened level. Adoption of the Statement has taken years, nonetheless, for entirely legitimate reasons. Even when the Board did vote, it took almost two weeks more for the result to show up on the Web site--not because of dark conspiracies or hidden agendas, but just because of basic human frailties like getting the people with the right passwords in touch with each other.
Now it's done. Part of the reason Python is one of the two languages our business most uses (disclaimer: I am myself an elected member of the PSF) is because the Python community has always been relatively civil and seemed to prize intellectual and moral integrity. I'm not smart enough to disentangle yet how the Diversity Statement is cause, and how effect, in that tradition, but its passage is surely worth noting. If you've hesitated about learning or using Python yourself, this is a good time to join in--you're likely to run into people that are entirely different from you!
