Because Python and JS are extremely difficult to use and extremely hard to understand for most cases that a user with no training in programming would have.

Most people who have been programming a while disregard what a huge barrier to entry syntax is. Python's bizarre white-space sensitive syntax is especially bad for this kind of embedding. Another huge barrier to entry is the need for explicit iteration - the much more beginner-friendly option is to express operations in terms of their effects on the "selected" element in a list, or on the whole list, relying on the programming environment to actually handle the iteration.

Overall, I think the approach taken here, of offering a beginner-friendly programming language AND environment, which exposes the resulting code as a data structure and not an opaque script, has some of the best chances of taking a PoC built by a domain expert and actually turning it into production software. Even better, it greatly expands what a user can do without ever reaching for a programmer to do it for them.

I think your question is a good one, and one that a vast majority of times it's just people or companies wanting to invent something for the sake of inventing something. IN this case, the posted link to the repo is unfortunate because there are so many better links to the announcement.

Here's one that touches on your question: https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/what-is-microsoft...

Probably being cynical. But I wonder if the purpose of PowerApps is to create a platform that seems safe to IT managers in corporations. Using a real language makes people stress about security and maintainability. The simplicity makes people assume that the product will only be used in safe ways. Whilst semi-supported "shadow IT" types use it in unexpected ways.

They address the origins of the language. It was designed for Excel-like usage in low code apps. Presumably it’s not a “new” language but a use case expansion of the Excel stdlib and runtime targets.

I think it’s mostly about the user, in this case the 1 billion users that know Excel, and would like those same functions available for integrating the modern web.

I think that there are alot of advantages to a using a declarative/functional programming style for these types of tools.

Because it's more fun and ownership for the developing team.

Microsoft has a lot of programming language designers. :)