From: "Hal E. Fulton" <hal9000@...>
Date: 2001-08-23T12:24:20+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:20147] Language wars

Here's a small perspective.

Ruby doesn't need to "beat" all other
languages -- *any* other language,
in fact.

Most of us know several languages.
Different tools for different tasks. And
sometimes it's legacy code, so we
have no choice.

Me, I like Ruby. It's my favorite language.
But I still will probably learn Python 
(which I don't know at all). No need to
be a xenophobe, eh?

If you want Ruby to be a success, you
can do these things: 1. Use it! 2. Tell
other people about it. 3. Contribute to
the community.

You *don't* necessarily have to fight
other languages or even rebut others'
negative comments.

Heck, some people still use FORTRAN,
COBOL, and RPG... and love it. I think
they're warped and demented, but more
power to them. I don't have to stop them.

And if someone writes a long article 
about how FORTRAN's DO-loop is far
superior to Ruby's iterators... well, fine.
Free speech, and all that.

Better to whisper the truth than to 
condemn a falsehood at the top of your
voice...

Cheers,
Hal