From: Mike Stephens <rubfor@...>
Date: 2010-11-30T23:59:41+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby's "More than one way to do things."

Eleanor McHugh wrote in post #965090:
>...the more tools contained in the toolbox the
> more knowledge is required before you can start using any of them
> competently.

I don't think that is logically correct. As long as you can use some
tools, it is irrelevant whether there are others in the box, as long as
when you want to use your tools nobody else has removed them.

The analogy however is fundamentally flawed. Programming is different to
other areas of human endeavour. You can botch things with entirely the
wrong tool and the magic of computer chips covers the whole thing up.
You may just notice slower performance, more memory usage etc but
chances are you won't.

If Ruby gives you more tools, so that two different artisans appear to
be doing quite different things when they are actually trying to achieve
the same ends, the impacts are only likely to arise when other people
start to look at the code later. That problem however started many
decades before Ruby and Python arrived on the scene.

A better analaogy is when you buy a box of assorted chocolates because
there are a couple that you really love but can't buy by the bag.
Normally you can't afford to buy confectionary and waste it but Ruby is
free. So all that matters is whether you get the items you're after.

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