From: Issac Trotts <ITrotts@...>
Date: 2001-12-12T09:58:28+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:28297] Re: Survey for new Rubyists

> 1) How did you find out about Ruby?

People mentioned it from time to time on a Python mailing list I was on.
Last week I decided to learn it after seeing some pretty examples on the
web.

> 2) Prior to finding Ruby, what programming language(s) did you primarily
> use?

C++ and Python mostly.

> 3) (this question is for folks coming from PythonLand or PerlLand) What
> Python or Perl modules do you miss most and wish that Ruby had?

Numeric Python was nice, but also looks like an enormous amount of
work.  Maybe we could put together a sort of "Numeric's greatest hits."

> 4) (follow-up to #3) Would the lack of these modules preclude you from
> using Ruby?

No way.  It gives me an excuse to write more code and learn more Ruby.

> 5) Do you think you'll be using Ruby at work in the next:
>   3 months?   6 months?  (or do you already use it at work?)

I'm already doing it.  A friend of mine once said "it's easier to 
ask forgiveness than permission."  Ruby is my language of
choice, except that the GLUT/OpenGL extension takes too long to load
(any ideas?)

> 6) (follow-up to #4) If you don't forsee being able to use Ruby at work
> within the next 6 months, what is the main reason keeping you from using
> it there?

There's no port of Ruby to the Sony Playstation as far as I know,
but that doesn't mean I can't write game-creation tools with Ruby
for the PC.

Come to think of it, we do need a scripting language for use in our
Playstation games.  Maybe a pared-down port of Ruby would fit the bill.

Probably the biggest obstacle to using Ruby here is just that no one
else knows it and very few have even heard about it.  My coworkers 
mostly work in C, sometimes C++.

Issac