From: Hal Fulton <hal9000@...>
Date: 2005-04-01T11:56:17+09:00
Subject: Re: Getting Ruby approved

Joe Van Dyk wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm trying to get Ruby added to one of the "supported" OSS tools at Boeing.  
> 
> I was asked this question:  "The question is, is Ruby bringing
> something extra to the table, that we can't do with Perl, Python, Tcl,
> Guile?  E.g., are there OSS packages that we want to use which need
> Ruby?"
> 
> I mentioned Rails and DRb as being the most useful applications of
> Ruby to me.  But can someone help me out with more?

On the one hand, all Turing-complete languages are equivalent.

In a more practical vein, sometimes there are libraries/packages
with which you need to interface, making some language a more
natural choice than others.

Neither of these points sells Ruby. What sells Ruby is the
productivity that programmers have when they use it.

This is only my opinion: I don't consider Perl as being on a level
with Ruby in this respect, and Tcl is not even close. Python, I
think, is very similar to Ruby in terms of productivity. I am not
familiar with Guile.

In case it helps any, you can refer to my article on devsource.com --
it was written partly to sell the idea that Ruby is now mainstream.


Hal