From: Chad Perrin <perrin@...>
Date: 2005-12-21T04:54:51+09:00
Subject: Re: Bruce Eckel wouldn't know why to switch from Python to Ruby

On Wed, Dec 21, 2005 at 04:35:59AM +0900, Matt Lawrence wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Dec 2005, cyberco wrote:
> 
> >"The person I want to hear from is the core Python expert, someone who
> >knows that language incredibly well, who has decided that Ruby is just
> >so much better that all the mature Python libraries and community
> >expertise doesn't hold a candle to the value of moving to Ruby. That
> >person would be able to make a compelling, feature-by-feature argument"
> 
> I'm not sure that Ruby really is so much better than Python that a Python 
> expert would want to switch.  Python is really good in many ways. 
> Starting from scratch, not knowing either, I'm glad I went with Ruby, but 
> if I had gone with Python, I'm not sure I would switch.

Keep in mind that I'm an absolute non-expert in both Ruby and Python
when I say this.  I know Perl better than both (and still rather like
it), and I'm not even an expert in that.  However, this is my
impression:

Ruby and Python are both excellent languages.  Ruby is incrementally
better than Python in a fair number of ways.  Python is incrementally
better than Ruby -- as far as I have been able to determine, in very few
ways.  In both cases, it's only incrementally better, nothing
earth-shattering.  They're close enough that the determining factor, if
you have a preference, is to choose the language that "feels" best.  Of
course, I could easily be wrong about any of this.

Since Python source code makes my eyes bleed, I'll stick with Ruby.

-- 
Chad Perrin [ CCD CopyWrite | http://ccd.apotheon.org ]

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