From: Nicholas Van Weerdenburg <vanweerd@...>
Date: 2005-01-02T12:17:23+09:00
Subject: Re: Best ways to accelerate Ruby's popularity

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:22:16 +0900, James Britt
<jamesUNDERBARb@neurogami.com> wrote:
> darren wrote:
> > 1.  Put a few links that target specific people.  For example, make it easy
> > for them to find information on how Ruby compares to their current language.
> > Make a link, "How Ruby compares to:  Smalltalk, Python, C, C++", where
> > Smalltalk, Python, C and C++ are separate links to brief examples of code
> > snippets that illustrate how you would do a loop (or something) in that
> > language and in Ruby.
> 
> Rather than comparisons to other languages,  it would be better to offer
> specific information on accomplishing various practical tasks.  Perhaps
> within a task-oriented section one could offer a comparison with another
> language as a way of explaining A Ruby Way of doing something in terms a
> Ruby newcomer might better understand, but what wins people over is the
> specific knowledge that a tool will help them accomplish some
> well-defined goal.
> 
> Point people to web development kits, database bindings, text-processing
> libraries, XML tools, unit testing frameworks, distributed programming
> code, and so on.
> 
> Language comparisons tend to get too abstract for most people, and are
> often a source of goofy flame wars, as it seems nobody understands The
> Other Language well enough to get it Just Right.
> 
> The site should be task-oriented, and unless the visitor is a language
> buff or dilettante, the Ruby <-> #{language} stuff is academic.
> 
> A language attracts people looking to do something their current
> language does not do well, if at all.
> 
> James
> 
> 

These are good points. 

A classic text on sales "The New Strategic Selling" makes a startling
suggestion- don't worry about your competition. When you do, you often
1. aren't listening to your customer, and 2. aren't presenting your
product as a solution to what you heard from the customer.

The same probably applies here.

Nick
-- 
Nicholas Van Weerdenburg