From: webmaster@... (Maik Schmidt)
Date: 2002-01-02T01:44:39+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:29967] Re: Ruby/Python: Software Engineering

Hmmm ... another year, another language discussion .. how boring ;-)

If anybody is interested in a really good discription of lightweight
methodologies, he/she should read Alistair Cockburns wonderful new
book called "Agile Software Development". He taught me that software
development is a nothing but a cooperative game of invention and
communication and I think, he is right.

And what I learned from "The pragmatic programmers" is: Care about
your craft. In my opinion that means that you should give any tool a
chance.

While developing software professionally you will always get in
contact with new problems that can be easily solved with one tool and
not so easily with another.

If you have to solve a problem from scratch - maybe just to prototype
a solution - one of the "lightweight languages" like Perl, Python or
Ruby will definitely be the right tool. But if you're looking for a
solution provided by someone else, you have to choose a language with
a big "standard" library. So it can be that you can solve a problem
much faster with a more static language like C++ or Java, just because
someone else solved your problem before.

So, please, skip that discussion. It will not lead to an end. There
cannot be only one. Learn as much tools/languages as you can. Another
year, another language. Three years ago, I've learned Perl. Tow years
ago, I've learned Python and PHP, last year I've learned Ruby. This
year ... well, no candidate yet ;-)

Have fun!

  <maik/>

noone <nanotech@europa.com> wrote in message news:<Pine.BSO.4.21.0112310935010.19993-100000@thetics.europa.com>...
> All:
> 
> There are many things I like about Python, but the one that seems to keep me w/ Python is (IMHO) its commitment to "software engineering practices/methodologies".
> 
> Hopefully staying away from an infinite recursive descent into definitions, is there any good summary that attempts to justify where/how Ruby makes this a priority?
> 
>   Quentin Crain
> 
> 
> What follows is detail which is not necessary to answer the question above, but fills out (a little) my thinking.
> 
> Software Engineering Practices/Methodologies include:
> 
>   Designed from the "ground up" for readability
> 
>     Enforced indention (you indent your own code I bet)
>     { @No #line $noise }
>     No short cuts ($!, $%, etc)
> 
>   Documentation a priority from the beginning
> 
>     docstrings (at all)
>     docstrings (as properties)
> 
> 
> Many of you are probably tired of this type of thread, but these are the types of things that keep me using Python and I am wondering if/when/where Ruby addresses them. Are these simply topics of opinion, or do they actually matter?
> 
> thanks!! <<q
> 
> 
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I think we are miscommunicating. I actually expected some confusion with
> my last response and I am not sure if there actually was some, but I feel
> like it. So, my message is going to assume I did not make my points, but
> perhaps you did understand me. If so, then that means *I* did not
> understand *YOUR* response - in which case you will need to rephrase.