[Tutor] Help deciding between python and ruby

[kevin parks]

1. go to the book store
2. pull a copy of learning ruby by Michael Fitzgerald (ora.com)
3. pull a copy of learning python by Mark Lutz (ora.com)
4. read chapter 1 of each
5. make a decision
6. get to work

Alternately check comp.lang.python where this question comes up over  
and over and over and over
and worry your head some more.

And while i am all for python advocacy. I:

1. Could not do better than the first 20 pages of the Lutz.

2. I am (and i am sure i will be over-ruled and shouted down for  
this), not entirely sure the tutor list
is the appropriate place for this query. Places like comp.lang.python  
better serve this purpose.

The tutor list is primarily a list (cribbing from http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor) 
  for folks
who want to ask questions regarding how to learn computer programming  
with the Python language.

I am not entirely sure i want to hear a long drawn out thought  
experiment on what one person thinks
upon adopting a new programming language. I joined this list to learn  
the specifics of programming in python
and to get help and learn from the questions and answers posted by  
others. If this place too gets clogged with
python -v- perl, python-v-ruby, phython -v- php navelgazing it is  
going to ruin the tutor list which has a pretty
clear mission and has served that purpose very very well over the  
years i have been on it. I think we should
redirect this query and avoid "mission creep"

All IMO, YMMV, etc. & co.

If you think i am just being a jerk, at least take my initial advice.  
The ora books BOTH have
great overviews of each language. A cup of coffee and reading the  
first 20 pages of each
will tell you great overviews of Python v Ruby.

-kevin






On Sep 4, 2009, at 11:46 PM, Dan King wrote:

>> I think you will get at the least a slight bias toward Python.  
>> However,
>> I think you should do your own research and reach your own  
>> conclusions.
>> Simply to get you started I put the following into Google: 'Python or
>> Ruby: Which to learn' and got more than 1M hits.
>
>> Best of luck.
>
>> Robert
>
> Well, the slight (at the very least) bias toward Python is expected  
> as this is a python mailing list. I have already done research on  
> python and ruby via Google. I've found that python is described as  
> more 'explicit,'  used in multiple situations, has better libraries,  
> and has unique 'spacing & underscore' syntax requirements; and ruby  
> on the other is more 'implicit,' used more in web-apps (via ROR),  
> emphasizes code-readability/beauty, and is more flexible (i.e. has  
> more than one way of doing something).
>
> While the preceding information is nice, the information hasn't  
> helped me decide which one to learn - that's the reason for my post.  
> I want to sift through the hype for each language. I want to  
> understand the perspectives of people who use python - why they like/ 
> dislike it, if/why the would recommend learning it, and what  
> experiences they've had with python in professional contexts.
>
> To put my programming knowledge in context, I have experience with  
> php and java; I enjoy php's ease and the syntax of java (everything  
> is apparent from the code, although it can be a bit verbose). Look  
> forward to the responses. Thanks.
>
> -Dan
>
>
>
>
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