From: Steve Klabnik <steve@...>
Date: 2010-02-03T00:44:30+09:00
Subject: Re: Why Ruby?

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>
> This was surprising to me, since my understanding is that Java and C (et
> al) are
> most prevalent.
>

It all depends on the application. For desktop apps on Linux, for example,
you'll find that C and C++ are the most popular. For web apps, it's probably
still PHP. For "The Enterprise," it's Java or .NET.


> Is Ruby a good programming language for general purpose usage?  That is,
> is it worth the time and effort to become proficient?
>

I personally feel that every language is worth the time and effort. But
languages are what I'm into, so my opinion is slightly skewed. However, Ruby
is tied for my favorite language, so I'd still think that it's worth
learning.


> The problem is that ANY programming language will probably require tons
> of study and years of practice before a developer achieves proficiency.
> Is Ruby worth the investment for someone seeking a new programming
> language?
>

Well, again, it depends on what you want to do. Writing GUI apps in Windows?
Yeah, Ruby will work, and would probably be more enjoyable for me than using
.NET, but it's probably easier to use C#. Writing web applications?
Absolutely use Ruby. Want to do some cross-platform scripting tasks?
Absolutely use Ruby. Want to put a little bit of joy and fun back in
programming? That's Ruby. There's other reasons, too, but those are my main
uses.


> Is Ruby a good choice as a general usage programming language?  Why (or
> why not)?
>

Well, without context, Ruby is a great language because when most people
think of OOP, they think of the C++/Java version of OOP, not Smalltalk style
message-passing OOP.

Actually I made up the term "object-oriented", and I can tell you I did not
> have C++ in mind.

 - Alan Kay


So if you've never programmed in that style, Ruby will teach you a thing or
two. Also, (some) Ruby emphasizes meta-programming more than any language
this side of Lisp, which is a wonderful, mind-expanding experience.

While the Rails culture is not the Ruby culture, it's absolutely the most
forward thinking group of people I've ever been involved with in terms of
software engineering. You won't find another community that's more obsessed
with Doing Things the Right Way. No other community values testing like
Rails does, for example.


Anyway, by now, I'm kind of rambling. Final word: Yes, absolutely worth
learning.

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