a Python person's experience with Ruby

[James Matthews]

I have been waiting for something like this! Thanks!

On Dec 8, 2007 6:08 AM, Steve Howell <showell30 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Python is my favorite programming language.  I've used
> it as my primary language for about six years now,
> including four years of using it full-time in my day
> job.  Three months ago I decided to take a position
> with a team that does a lot of things very well, but
> they don't use Python.  We use Ruby instead.  I'd like
> to share my observations about Ruby, because I think
> they say important things about Python, which has been
> my frame of reference.
>
> First of all, I actually enjoy programming in Ruby.
> Although I'm still fairly early on the learning curve,
> I feel like I've achieved basic fluency, and it
> generally stays out of the way.
>
> (A quick disclaimer is that some of the observations I
> make about Ruby may simply reflect my ignorance about
> the language.  I'm still learning it.)
>
> The thing that I like least about Ruby is its
> "require" mechanism.  Basically, when you do "require"
> in Ruby, it sort of pollutes your namespace.  I much
> prefer Python's explicitness.
>
> Some surprising things that I like about Ruby:
>
>  1) It has the Perlish natural language syntax of
> "raise 'foo' if condition."  I never missed having
> that syntax in Python, but now that I have it in Ruby,
> I use it quite often.
>
>  2) On a general note, Ruby is enough like Python
> that it doesn't bend my brain.
>
>  3) I actually like being able to omit parentheses in
> method definitions and method calls.  In Ruby you can
> express "add(3,5,7)" as both "add(3,5,7)" and "add 3,
> 5, 7."  The latter syntax is obviously more error
> prone, but I don't think I've ever actually gotten bit
> by it, and the code appears more clean to me.
>
>  4) Ruby forces you to explicitly make attributes for
> instance variables.  At first I found this clumsy, but
> I've gotten used to it, and I actually kind of like it
> in certain circumstances.
>
> What I miss about Python:
>
>  1) I like the fact that Python's syntax for passing
> around methods is very natural. Ruby's syntax is much
> more clumsy.
>
>  2) I miss indentation.  I get bitten by kEnd in Ruby
> all the time.
>
>  3) I miss Python's maturity.  Just to give a small
> example, Python's interpreter gives more readable
> syntax error messages.
>
> Those are the things that jump out for me.  I'm
> curious to hear what other people have learned about
> Python after maybe going away from it for a while.
>
>
>
>
>
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