Why did you switch from Python to Ruby?

ruby-talk
1

I programmed in perl Until 93, when I switched to python. Perl, as a language, was
expensive to maintain. I switched to python, and it was a pleasure to use.

I did not/do not have a problem with python style:
- space blocks (no problem since that matched my coding style)
- underscores for system routines (no problem, since in previous life in compilers
used underscores for system functions).

I tried to go to ruby several times, but returned to python.
- My python library of routines built over time
- Zope for application server development
- wxpython

I went to a java conference last month, and was a pub with
Chad Fowler, Dave Thomas, and Jim Weirich. They all made very
good points.

The next day, I went to Dave’s presentation on Ruby. When I saw
WebRick, I was converted. I read “The Ruby Way”'s network section,
and drb pulled me the rest of the way in (Thanks Hal and Chad).

Ruby Winners:
- WEBRick
- drb
- rinda
- language syntax
- block functionality
- iterator model

Ruby Issues:
- Threading Model (we have many multi-cpu machines)
- GUI model (looks like wxruby is on the way)
- named parameters (is this in 1.8?), these are really handy for GUI objects
with many valid options that are partially set by the user.

I read block section again in the pickaxe book (Thanks Dave and Andy).

I am pragmatic about language use. I bounce back between Ruby and Python.

I do enjoy the cleaner syntax of Ruby.

Thanks Matz!!
Mike

···

-----Original Message-----
From: sabbyxtabby@yahoo.com [mailto:sabbyxtabby@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 10:48 AM
To: ruby-talk@ruby-lang.org
Subject: Re: Why did you switch from Python to Ruby?

Michael Campbell michael_s_campbell@yahoo.com wrote:

Trsr:

#!perl -p0777
$_="@{[y/
//,0+split,y///c]}
"

This illustrates pretty well why I switched from Perl to Ruby. =)

I know there’s a smiley there, but let’s be fair; people don’t
generally say they switched from C because of the entries in the
OCCC, and that is clearly an overt example of TRYING to be
obfuscated.

No effort was made to obfuscate. Every effort was made to abbreviate.
The above is an example of terse code. Perl golf anyone? :slight_smile: