[ruby-talk:23141] Re: Bruce Eckel's opinion of Ruby

Sean Russell wrote:

> > Basically, what this means is that other programmers are less likely to
> > somehow tromp on important global data.
> 
> Ummm... then don't use global data.  At worst, you'd be no worse off than 
> if you had used Python.

You might not use it, but your i-know-better neighbour will.

> The main difference is that, with Python, Guido V.R. is determining how all 
> of you are going to style your source.  I'd rather have local control over 
> that sort of thing.

While I agree with you, I have to ask: why? I feel the same way yet I
can't shake the feeling we're being childish for holding on to
something as insignificant to a particular coding style while we both
acknowledge that coding standards are good.

> I'm increasingly getting the feeling that there isn't much structure in 
> your work environment.

On an individual level, that's what you're going to see. Unless you
work at NASA, maybe.

> Again, I'd rather have local control, than leave 
> that sort of thing up to the language designer.

Which leaves you to police such matters.

> IMO, if things are that 
> chaotic at your shop and you're trying to work on large, diverse projects, 
> you're going to have bigger problems than just whether or not your source 
> code is readable.

I don't think that was the point. His work environment may or may not
be as chaotic as you describe. The way I read his statements is that
in large projects, you need coding standards anyhow, in which case
it makes very little difference if you enforce them by policy or by
your compiler. I don't particularly like the coding standards I have
to use at work now, and still I have to use them. Same difference who
does the policing.

> Hmmm.  Well, given that there is no such thing as a 10 year-old Python 
> project, proving that Python is superior in this case would be rather 
> difficult.  Bad code is bad code.  That said, I'll agree that any given 
> Python source has a better chance of being legible to other Python 
> programmers that Ruby.

Which was exactly his point I think.

Emile