Python vs Ruby

[Cameron Laird]

In article <435757b1$0$21282$626a54ce at news.free.fr>,
bruno modulix  <onurb at xiludom.gro> wrote:
>Bryan wrote:
>> Amol Vaidya wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi. I am interested in learning a new programming language, and have
>>> been debating whether to learn Ruby or Python. 
>(snip)
>> 
>> why don't you do what i did?  download ruby and spend a day or two
>> reading "programming ruby" from www.ruby-lang.org/en.  the download
>> python and spend a day or two reading the python tuturial from
>> www.python.org.
>
>Or better: DiveIntoPython
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You've already been told all the essentials:  that they're similar,
that specific Web pages usefully contrast them, that *Dive into Python*
and so on are worth reading, ...  I want to emphasize particularly the
wisdom of trying the two for yourself, to see how each fits your own 
tastes.  This is practical advice; it truly is possible to have a 
meaningful experience with Python and/or Ruby over the course of a day.
These languages are FAR more "light-weight" than, for example, C++, 
which typically requires weeks or months of practice before one truly
"gets it".  While you won't know everything about, say, Ruby, in the
first four hours, you *will* be able to write programs independently,
and you'll have a "feel" for how the language works as a whole.