From: Jamis Buck <jgb3@...>
Date: 2004-10-21T06:10:32+09:00
Subject: Re: Python vs. Ruby (Re: A concise description of Ruby?)

Joao Pedrosa wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 05:20:24 +0900, Curt Hibbs <curt@hibbs.com> wrote:
> 
>>jgb3@email.byu.edu wrote:
>>
>>>I, for one, dislike Python for various reasons. However, both Python and
>>>Ruby exist, and are both successful, because they fit different people's
>>>ways of thinking about the world. Ruby fits my way of thinking. Python
>>>doesn't. For a Python fan, it is doubtless the other way around.
>>>
>>>I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I don't think Ruby is
>>>out to displace Python. In fact, I don't think it ever could, just
>>>because there are lots of people for whom Python is a better fit than
>>>Ruby is. That's not blasphemy, just honest talk. ;)
>>
>>Well said!
> 
> 
> Maybe we should have a clear position of why Ruby is a "little bit" better
> than Python for us. The reason is to evangelize Ruby more easily or at
> least not repeat ourselves when explaining what Ruby is. The third
> option is to shut-up about it, keeping out little secret. :-)

Good point, Joao. For me, I prefer Ruby over Python for a few reasons:

   1) Python's outline style REALLY bugs me.

   2) Last time I used Python (may be different now), you had to 
explicitly declare 'self' as a parameter of every method. It just seemed 
noisy and unnecessary.

   3) Ruby's C API is the cleanest of any language I've ever seen.

   4) Blocks are a beauty unto themselves.

There are other things I love about Ruby (of course!), but it's been 4 
years since I last looked at Python and I don't feel qualified to say 
whether Python has those other features or not.

- Jamis

-- 
Jamis Buck
jgb3@email.byu.edu
http://www.jamisbuck.org/jamis