REPOST: Re: Python Popularity: Questions and Comments

[Ron Stephens]

Thanks, Dave. I suspect you are right about this. When I went searching
for a "scripting" language to learn, about 10 months ago,  (after
becoming frustrated with Java as a "hobby" language) I really narrowed
down the field to just Python and Ruby. I was quite torn because I liked
what I saw of Ruby from the Pickaxe book, its a great book! But I
ultimately chose Python because I perceived it might be a little easier
for me to learn. After all, I have no "C" background at all and no Perl
experience either; and rightly or wrongly, what I could find on the web
and in the two newsgroups helped me make a close decision to try Python.

Dave Thomas wrote:

> Ron Stephens <rdsteph at earthlink.net> writes:
>
> > Thus, while I admire Ruby, I suspect that it divides the pool of
> > developers who might otherwise be all in the Python *camp*.
>
> From personal experience, I have to disagree. I tried many times to
> like Python. I used it on projects and for personal work, but it
> never clicked. I couldn't tell you why, and I know it isn't a failing
> of the language. It's just that Python and my brain have some kind of
> impedance mismatch.
>
> When I tried Ruby, I fell in love within an hour, so much so that I
> was driven to write a book about it.
>
> This isn't a "Ruby is better than Python" response. It's just an
> observation. Ruby and Python are different, and I suspect there is a
> substantial body of developers out there who, like me, have a
> preference for one over the other. I don't believe that Ruby is
> raiding the Python camp. I believe that Ruby is attracting people to
> OO scripting who would not otherwise be doing it.
>
> Regards
>
> Dave

========= WAS CANCELLED BY =======:
Path: news.sol.net!spool1-milwwi.newsops.execpc.com!newsfeeds.sol.net!newspump.sol.net!newsfeed.direct.ca!look.ca!newsfeed.dacom.co.kr!feeder.kornet.net!news1.kornet.net!ua4canc3ll3r
From: Ron Stephens <rdsteph at earthlink.net>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Subject: cmsg cancel <3C2BB2E8.737556A5 at earthlink.net>
Control: cancel <3C2BB2E8.737556A5 at earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2001 01:51:53 GMT
Organization: A poorly-installed InterNetNews site
Lines: 2
Message-ID: <cancel.3C2BB2E8.737556A5 at earthlink.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: 211.57.49.2
X-Trace: news2.kornet.net 1009775494 27193 211.57.49.2 (31 Dec 2001 05:11:34 GMT)
X-Complaints-To: usenet at news2.kornet.net
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2001 05:11:34 +0000 (UTC)
X-No-Archive: yes
X-Unac4ncel: yes
X-Commentary: I love NewsAgent 1.10 and the Sandblaster Cancel Engine Build 74 (19 March 1999)

This message was cancelled from within Mozilla.