&gt; which they could have done with Python<p>I don&#x27;t think they could have created a statically-linked Python binary that contained the entire Python installation and core libraries, <i>and</i> the entire application in less than 5 MB.  The entire app in a self-contained executable.  No futzing with PYTHONPATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, virtualenv, installation, conflicting with the system-installed Python, etc.  That&#x27;s what Lua let them do.<p>But don&#x27;t take it from me.  Here is Guido van Rossum last year:<p>&gt; The final question was about what he hates in Python. &quot;Anything to do with package distribution&quot;, he answered immediately. There are problems with version skew and dependencies that just make for an &quot;endless mess&quot;. He dreads it when a colleague comes to him with a &quot;simple Python question&quot;. Half the time it is some kind of import path problem and there is no easy solution to offer.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;lwn.net&#x2F;Articles&#x2F;651967&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;lwn.net&#x2F;Articles&#x2F;651967&#x2F;</a>