From: chad fowler <chadfowler@...>
Date: 2001-10-27T07:10:25+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:23547] Re: Ruby and Python: a fuzzy question

> 
> For me personally, Ruby and Python have different
> characters. It isn't
> that one is better that the other in any absolute
> sense: they just
> feel different when I use them. From talking with
> folks, this seems to
> be a common experience.
> 
> So, here's my question. As Paul Prescod has said,
> Ruby and Python are
> fairly similar in many significant ways. Despite
> this, I personally
> have never managed to get excited about Python, but
> liked Ruby so much
> I wrote a book about it. Other folks have the
> opposite experience,
> loving Python and not finding much to thrill them
> about Ruby. Why is
> that? Is it some kind of personality clash between
> the language and
> the programmer? Is it liking what you're used to? Is
> it liking or
> disliking the philosophies of the languages'
> designers? Or is it
> something else?
> 
> I have some very vague idea of what it might be (at
> least as far as
> I'm concerned), but I'd like to see what people
> think before posting
> it.
> 

A fuzzy answer:

"feel different" sums it up as best as is possible for
me.  I don't have anything really concrete to add to
this discussion, but it's not because I don't have any
feelings on it.  

For me, the difference between programming in Ruby and
Python is the same as the difference between writing
chamber music and orchestra music (when I was a
composer).  There's something abstractly different
about the two.  Asked to describe my likes and
dislikes in this area, I could only use abstract
metaphors like "texture" and "expression".  Also
similar to the Ruby/Python comparison I can't make a
judgement on which is better.  I don't *care* which is
better.  It's not about that.

Obviously there are specific technical differences,
but I can't really say that white space sensitivity or
any other language feature makes me "feel" anything,
just as I can't say that the presence of 50
simultaneous voices versus 4 simultaneous voices in a
piece of music specifically makes me feel anything.

All this having been said, Ruby is the first language
that has made me fully aware of this parallel to music
composition.  It's not because it's fun, and it's not
because it gets the job done quicker (although it is
and it does).  It's something indescribable.

Sorry to get so fuzzy,
Chad


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com