#491: DuckDB and Python: Ducks and Snakes living together

Every year the core developers meet to discuss and propose the major changes and trends in Python itself. This invite-only conference of about 50 people happens inside PyCon in the US. Because it's private, we rarely get detailed looks inside this event. On this episode, we have Seth Michael Larson here to give us his account of the sessions and proposals. It's a unique look into the zeitgeist of CPython.

24 Aug 20241h 1min

Python performance has come a long way in recent times. And it's often the data scientists, with their computational algorithms and large quantities of data, who care the most about this form of performance. It's great to have Stan Seibert back on the show to talk about Python's performance for data scientists. We cover a wide range of tools and techniques that will be valuable for many Python developers and data scientists.

19 Aug 20241h 8min

Do you feel like ADHD is holding you back? Maybe you don't personally have ADHD but you work with folks who do and you'd like to support them better. Either way, how ADHD interplays with programming and programmers is pretty fascinating. On this episode we have Chris Ferdinandi who himself has ADHD and has written a lot about it to share his journey and his advice for thriving with ADHD as a programmer or data scientist.

2 Aug 20241h

This episode turned out to be a seminal one for me. After speaking with David about the Flask ecosystem, it finally convinced me to get moving and convert [talkpython.fm](https://talkpython.fm) to Quart. You can read all about the journey in a detailed write up I did at [Talk Python rewritten in Quart (async Flask)](https://talkpython.fm/blog/posts/talk-python-rewritten-in-quart-async- flask/). With this episode, I hope you’re ready for an inside look at the latest happenings in Flask, one of Python’s most popular web frameworks. David Lord, Flask’s lead maintainer, takes us behind the scenes of recent performance boosts (like a 50% speedup in Werkzeug), the future of async support via Quart, and how the broader Pallets ecosystem is evolving under one umbrella. You’ll also hear about Pallets Eco, which aims to streamline and revive critical Flask extensions, and learn how you can contribute to this massive open-source effort. If you use Flask, want to keep your Python apps on the cutting edge, or just love data-driven insights from top maintainers, this episode is for you. **Flask** and its sister libraries are faster, leaner, and more maintainable than ever. The **pallets-eco** initiative aims to keep the Flask extension ecosystem thriving. David and the Pallets team welcome new contributors, especially folks interested in type annotations, extension maintenance, or community support. Check out the Pallets Discord to get involved!

26 Jul 20241h 1min

If you want to get better at something, often times the path is pretty clear. If you get better at swimming, you go to the pool and practice your strokes and put in time doing the laps. If you want to get better at mountain biking, hit the trails and work on drills focusing on different aspects of riding. You can do the same for programming. Reuven Lerner is back on the podcast to talk about his book Pandas Workout. We dive into strategies for learning Pandas and Python as well as some of his workout exercises.

22 Jul 20241h 4min

Python is special. It's used by the big tech companies but also by those you would rarely classify as developers. On this episode, we get a look inside how Python is being used at a Children's Hospital to speed and improve patient care. We have Dr. Somak Roy here to share how he's using Python in his day to day job to help kids get well a little bit faster.

12 Jul 20241h 19min

Python is one of the most popular languages of the current era. It dominates data science, it an incredible choice for web development, and its many people's first language. But it's not super great on front-end programing, is it? Frameworks like React, Vue and other JavaScript frameworks rule the browser and few other languages even get a chance to play there. But with pyscript, which I've covered several times on this show, we have the possibility of Python on the front end. Yet it's not really a front end framework, just a runtime in the browser. That's why I'm excited to have Ken Kinder on the podcast to talk about his project PuePy, a reactive frontend framework in Python.

8 Jul 202458min

I've gathered a group of Python experts who have been thinking deeply about where Python is going and who have lived through where it has been. This episode is all about near-term Python trends and things we each believe will be important to focus on as Python continues to grow. Our panelists are Jodie Burchell, Carol Willing, and Paul Everett.

1 Jul 20241h 5min