[Baypiggies] April agenda?

[Rich Morin]

At 11:38 PM -0700 4/6/06, Monte Davidoff wrote:
> Generally speaking, I've found that it takes about an order of
> magnitude fewer LOC in Python to do a given task than in C, so
> Python allows you to be an order of magnitude more productive.

I think that this is true of scripting languages in general.  My
impression is that Perl and Python take about the same about of
code to get things done, but that the appearance of the code is
quite different.  Many things that would be coded directly in
Perl are typically done by method calls in Python.

Interestingly, in skimming Ruby code, I continue to be surprised
at how little code it requires to get things done.  Like, about
half as much as I would expect in an equivalent Perl script!  At
the same time, Ruby isn't infested by the "line noise" that seems
common in many Perl programs.

I think it might be fun to pick some small but interesting cases
and have some Perl/Python/Ruby experts present and defend their
own language's capabilities, restrictions, etc.  I have found
that any worthwhile language improves my capabilities for using
other languages.  So, I'd find this to be quite interesting...

If others like the idea, I suspect that we could pull together a
cross-language get-together...

-r

FYI-  I'm mostly a Perl scripter these days, but I dive into PHP
      and Python at need, and have been trying to learn Ruby.
-- 
http://www.cfcl.com/rdm            Rich Morin
http://www.cfcl.com/rdm/resume     rdm at cfcl.com
http://www.cfcl.com/rdm/weblog     +1 650-873-7841

Technical editing and writing, programming, and web development