Why Crystal Is My Next Language

BRANK

I have been a heavy user and lover of Python since 2011. At that time, when a good friend suggested I ditch Perl (eeek) and try Python instead, an entirely new world opened up to me. A world where readability counted above everything else and an explicit style ruled.After around 7 years of using Python, I’m just as passionate about it now as I was then. However, as time goes on, one looks for new adventures and challenges. The time has come for me to try another language!Python ChallengesLet me start by noting some of the challenges I’ve faced with Python:Packaging: This is one area where most interpreted languages share challenges. Tools such as FPM make it really easy to ship an installable artifact that includes an entire virtualenv, but this still lacks the elegance of a single binary.Static Typing: As someone who started with C++ and absolutely adored it, I do miss the type safety that I was used to from C++. This goes hand in hand with compile-time checks that really helped me…